Early in my senior year at Loyola College I decided that statistics was for me. Being a mathematics major had afforded me the opportunity to take statistics courses as an undergraduate. My advisor convinced me that graduate work in statistics would open many doors and be fun, too. I enrolled in the masters program at Iowa State University.

My graduate level course work enabled me to learn in detail about statistical theory as well as statistical methods, sampling techniques, categorical analysis, and multivariate analysis. My most rewarding experiences came from working as a teaching assistant in the statistics department. I taught basic statistics to business students for two years. I enjoyed meeting and working with my students and made friendships that have lasted past our time in school. I also credit this experience with helping me get over my fear of speaking to large groups. Many times I draw on those experiences when I make presentations or conduct classes at work.

In 1988 I began working for the A.C. Nielsen Company. Everyone is familiar with the “Nielsen Ratings.” In addition to that service, Nielsen markets many services to the consumer products industry. Much of the data are collected by scanning products at check-out counters. I was involved in the analysis of buying trends based on promotions, coupons, and store displays.