KUNI/KHKE's music library is like going into Fort Knox. I feel like an explorer when I select music for KHKE listeners. Every day is like mapping a new musical adventure. Along the way, I also get to work with some incredible people, like radio events producer Phil Maass. Phil records all those great Waterloo-Cedar Falls Symphony concerts and produces their concerts that air on our stations. Am I lucky or what?

Another perk is getting to interview community people who are revved up about the arts. What an honor it is to talk with world-class visiting artists appearing in our region. For me, it's a KHKE fireside chat, where the arts come alive.

What is your favorite NPR/PRI program?
St. Paul Sunday with its amazing musical guests is my pick as one of the finest radio programs around! Bill McGlaughlin is my idol and hero. His brilliant interviewing technique and astute musical insight are the ingredients that make St. Paul Sunday click.

Why/how did you get into radio?
I have always been addicted to public radio. (Is there any other kind?) My career leap into broadcasting was a result of my passion for music and news. In my pre-KUNI life, I received my Master's degree in music from the University of Oregon. My first career was as a public school orchestra teacher in Cedar Rapids. At various times I was lucky enough to play viola with the Eugene Symphony, the Des Moines Symphony and the Cedar Rapids Symphony.

My other professional adventures included an internship with the National Geographic Television Promotion Department in Washington, DC and a web stint for the Cedar Rapids school system.

My first radio gig was as a news and jazz producer at KCCK in Cedar Rapids. I literally learned about jazz on the air. Once the radio bug bit me, I was hooked. For me, working as KHKE's classical music producer is a dream come true. I love programming music and interviewing people who are excited about the arts. I try to make classical music fun and hope to get listeners hooked on the arts in their own communities.

What is your most memorable moment with KUNI/KHKE?
One of my favorite KUNI/KHKE memories was the day that David Newell (alias Mr. McFeely from Mister Roger's Neighborhood) came to Cedar Falls for the College Hills Arts Festival. Hugh Pettersen, the festival's originator and coordinator, squeezed a KUNI interview into the "Speedy Delivery Guy's" already packed schedule.

David was such a warm and fun person to interview. Everyone at KUNI wanted his or her picture with Mr. McFeely. When I didn't have time to get mine, David personally invited me to come to the festival that afternoon so I could get my picture shot with him. It must have been a funny sight to see me standing in line with all the kids. That's one great day in the KUNI "neighborhood" that I'll never forget.

What do you do for fun?
I like to attend classical and jazz concerts, explore museums, tour Frank Lloyd Wright homes, cycle, watch the Tour de France (go Lance!), travel, hike around local prairies and buy CDs.