About

After earning a double master’s degree in Art History and Museum Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University or VCU, I moved back to Auburn to take ownership of the house I grew up in – humorously coined the “Hotel-No-Tell,” for all the parties it has hosted.

In 1999, I married Greg Munno, then an editor and reporter for The Post-Standard. Greg is now in the Mass Communications PhD Program at SI Newhouse School of Public Communication at Syracuse University.

We love to travel and have visited dozens of places and look forward to many more! Our favorite vacation spots include Miami & Key West, Paris, Madrid, Amsterdam, Burlington, V.T., Provincetown, M.A. and Ottawa.

In the fall of 2004, I dropped down to part-time at the Cayuga County Office of Tourism to follow my dream of being an interior decorator. Since that time, I have completed exciting residential and commercial projects, and also dabbled in stage/set and fashion design and special event decor.

Being an interior decorator, upgrading our home is a full-time endeavor. We have worked with numerous local artists to achieve a rainbow/kaleidoscope affect, with murals on walls, ceilings, archways and hallways. There are at least 20 different colors going on in there! These unique effects caught the attention of a producer for HGTV’s Offbeat America show, and our home debuted the opening season for the show in the winter of 2007.

In the past ten years, I’ve served on the steering committee for IGNITE, an organization for young professionals that raises funds for community organizations and engages professionals in our demographic. I was also a founding member of the BluePrint Group, which focuses on innovative ideas for community betterment. In 2011, a BluePrint sub-committee created the Wednesday Morning Roundtable, which meets monthly to educate its members on current issues, trends and developments. I coordinate these meetings, serving as Administrator. I also write copy for the City’s monthly e-newsletter Positively Auburn.

In the spring of 2010, Dave Tobin and I trained with mosaic artist Isaiah Zagar, in Philadelphia. When we returned, we launched the Community Mosaic Project, with generous support from the Stardust Foundation of Central New York. We have engaged hundreds of volunteers of all ages and backgrounds to create public art in downtown Auburn. We have numerous projects already under our belt, and more in the hopper. I continue to be inspired to make Auburn a better place to live and work, as an artist and as Assistant Director of the Downtown Auburn BID, where I’ve worked since May 2010.

Many people find it hard to believe I’ve made Auburn my home. Since moving back, I’ve become very dedicated to my community. I had a wonderful experience growing up in Auburn, and I came back to give back. I find actions speak louder than words…