Celebrity Spotlight of the Week

First Job: I was a telephone operator with Pacific Bell in 1963 at the Van Ness office in downtown Fresno.

Birthplace: I was born in Phoenix, Arizona, on July 17. My parents are Roy and Lillie Chandler. I have 3 brothers - Will, Rickie, and Alan – and 2 sisters, Barbra and Sunday.

Years at EOC: I began working here in October 1987. I began as a teacher’s assistant to Shirley Trotter at Ivy Head Start; in 1988 I became a teacher at Franklin Head Start and I remained at Franklin until 1993 when I became teacher director for Ramacher Head Start. In 2001, I returned to Franklin and became center director; that’s the position I currently hold.

Best advice ever received: “Put God first and everything else will fall in place.”

Favorite advice I give: “Always have a positive spirit.” I tell people before I meet with anyone I pray and ask God to give me the right words to say so they will receive what I have to say.

Favorite restaurant, dish, or pig-out food: My favorite restraint is Macaroni Grill. The food I love to pig out on is turkey, dressing, candied yams, potato salad, greens, cranberry sauce, and peach cobbler.

Proudest moment: I’ve had many proud moments like the births of my two daughters, Anissa and Nichole, and buying my first home. But the proudest moment to date was just recently on March 20, 2009, when my oldest daughter, Anissa, defended her dissertation to become the first family member to earn a Ph.D. in education.

Greatest personal accomplishment: I grew up feeling like a dummy not really knowing how to read, comprehend, and retain what I read. I flunked out of college because everything had to do with reading. I read slowly and couldn’t remember what I read without reading it over and over again. I discovered in the later years I had ADD and I am also dyslexic.

I tell people I wish there was a Head Start program when I was growing up. Maybe I wouldn’t have had such a hard time in school. I didn’t learn to read until I was 26 years-old. I was living in a foreign country, without TV in English to watch, and had a friend who would read a book then tell me the story. Then, I would read the same book and be able to remember the story because I had a picture already in my mind. That was the start of me really learning to read, understand and remember what I read.

I later moved back to the United States, went back to college, and received me AS degree in child development.

Best vacation I’ve taken/dream vacation: I have traveled to many places in the world but the very best vacation I’ve ever taken was in 2005, when a group of 42 educators, myself included, went on a 14 day guided tour of China.

My next dream vacation will be to Athens, Greece, and the Greek Islands ( Mykonos and Santorini).

Favorite weekend activity : My favorite weekend activity is spending a weekend in Morro Bay with my husband, Gregory.

Last good movie I saw: Taken

Scariest experience: Driving or riding in the densest fog ever in Cambridge, England.

If I had a million dollars I would … take family and extended family on a vacation, give to my church and to individuals I think may be in need, buy my favorite car, continue to live modestly and be able to take a vacation where ever I choose to. The rest would be banked or invested.

Favorite place to shop: Steinmart

Favorite childhood memory: On holidays, traveling to visit family and making the best home made bar-b-que and sauce in town along with mother’s homemade ice cream. As a family we ate all of our meals together at the dinner table.

Words that describe me best: My license plate says “KLSY T” which means classy traveler. I love to travel, dress up, and shop.

I like to watch : I like to watch movies.

In my spare time … I’ll go to church, the movies, dinner, and shopping

If I’ve learned one thing in life, it is… God is good all the time and we can look for a better day tomorrow.