I was born on January 24th in Port Washington, Wisconsin. I graduated from Port Washington High School and later received my undergraduate degree in German Education from the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh. I taught German in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, for two years and then for the Wauwatosa School District (in suburban Milwaukee) for thirteen years. In addition to teaching German there I also taught English as a Second Language (ESL) and acted as Chairman of Foreign Languages and ESL for the school district from 1982 to 1986. In 1986 I moved to Germany and, shortly thereafter, began teaching for UMUC in the Rhein-Main area. I have been married to Stefan Schmitt since 1987. We live in Eltville am Rhein, which is located 25 miles west of Frankfurt between Wiesbaden and Rüdesheim.
