I was born in Ohio, the middle child of five children with a large extended Irish-Italian Catholic family. Family circumstances prevented me from going to college immediately after high school. Instead, I lived with family friends in Washington D.C. to find a job. I married young and had two children, but found myself a single mother at the age of 23.  

My dream since the early age of 8 was to become a lawyer. With the generous help of employers who offered tuition assistance and time off during the day, and with the support of many neighbors and friends who offered child care, I was able to enroll in George Washington University, taking both day and night courses. It took me five years to earn my B.A. degree in Sociology while working full time, having full-time custody of my children and attending school year-round. It was an achievement that still gives me pride.

I moved to California and married my wonderful late husband Paul Shepherd. I completed my law degree at the Santa Clara University School of Law for my Juris Doctor, passed the bar exam and began my law career at a mid-sized firm on the Peninsula. Women entrepreneurs were starting to flourish and I decided to leave the firm and establish my own practice with an emphasis on small and mid-sized women-owned businesses. I helped to establish the Silicon Valley Chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) and eventually was elected the National President of NAWBO, a role that took me to many states, and to a number of foreign countries for meetings and trade missions.

I had long been a fan of Domus, the iconic kitchen and home accessories store that was the centerpiece of Los Gatos for decades. While at a business meeting in New York City, I learned by chance that the store was for sale and I jumped on the opportunity and became the new owner in 1996. In the next few years, I opened Domus locations in Pleasanton, Palo Alto and Willow Glen. The Palo Alto location did not survive the 2002 dot-com bust, but the other two stores thrived and were sold as part of my strategic plan. After my initial long-term lease ended in Los Gatos, I was unable to find another commercial space large enough for Domus, so the Domus era in Los Gatos came to an end after 40 plus years.

I have many fond memories of Domus – the fabulous view of every Children’s Christmas Parade… decorating the store for every major (and sometimes minor) holiday… the heart-wrenching morning of September 11th when customers flooded the store telling me they needed to take a break from the awful scenes on television and come to someplace that gave them comfort.