Debbie, a Sacramento native, is Vice President of Administration for Denio’s Roseville Farmers Market.  She has worked for the company since 1981.  An alumnus of Stanford University, Debbie’s first academic love was English Literature but she found she was drawn to accounting during an interim job after college.  Returning to college to study accounting, she eventually found herself living in San Francisco and working as the Manager of General Accounting at Joseph Magnin.  Marriage and the decision to start a family prompted Debbie’s return to the Sacramento area.  She has two grown children and currently resides in El Dorado Hills. 

About her decision to become involved with A Touch of Understanding, Debbie explains:

I recall volunteering at an Easter Seals camp while in high school.  The experience was one of the most fulfilling I had as an adolescent and the memory of it has stayed with me through the years.  As an adult, I watched a dear cousin cope with the challenges of having an autistic child.  In 2003, I became involved with a national organization that promotes the inclusion of children with special needs into the life environment of their peers.  While looking for volunteers to help with a fundraiser for that organization, I was led to ATOU.  I decided to attend one of their presentations at a local school, and I was hooked.  ATOU is a much needed, amazing program.  The effect that it has on the students who attend is evident and long-lasting.  I have met many parents who have children that have gone through the program.  Some have experienced the program recently, some many years ago.  To a child, they all remember the day they learned just how easy it is to have “A Touch of Understanding.”  I am proud to champion this cause.