I am a Professor of Anthropology at University of Hawai`i-West O`ahu. My areas of specialization are Pacific Islands Cultures, Psychological Anthropology, Ethnohistory, the History of Anthropology, and Linguistics. The focus of my research is on Micronesian cultures, particularly Pohnpei. I have worked in Pohnpei since 1979. I have spent nearly three years in residence on the island, and I am fluent in Pohnpeian language. Members of my Pohnpeian family now live in Honolulu.

I am a native of New Orleans and of Cajun descent. That’s me in the picture above. I am on a boat for a "swamp tour" with my family. I now live in Mililani with my husband, Jim Turner (also a Pacific anthropologist), and our dog, Roux.