Meet the Gals behind Design-her Gals.!!!!!

JEANNE FITZMAURICE
Bend, Oregon

Gal's Gal (I gave birth to the idea, so you could say I'm the Go-To Gal!)

Q. Background? Skills?
Does "Power Shopping" count? I've got an eye for fashion and my closet is bigger than my bedroom! But for resume purposes, for 15 years I was president of a successful resort management company renowned for its quality customer service. I know what women deserve and I like to deliver that.

Q. Your "dream" Design-her Gal accessories?
My dream accessory is a titanium credit card with revolving credit and automatic payments!
Ah, but in my day-to-day world, let's go with an apron and whisk -- because I like to "whip up things" for my husband and son.

Q. Why the Gal to Gal Foundation?
Last year I walked for cancer with a group called "The Bionic Babes," not only to honor my late cousin Robin, but also to support our friend Janis, who was then in remission and walked with us.

Shortly afterwards, Janis was diagnosed with Stage 4 breast cancer. We soon learned how scarce funds are for those in this critical stage, when health insurance benefits may be reduced or cancelled - and hospice care is hard to find. We want all Stage 4 patients to make the journey to their next destination with as much style and grace as they've shown traveling through this one.
Read more about the Gal to Gal Foundation here.

Q. Your wish for this site?
As corny as this sounds, I truly hope that women will view Design-her Gals as both a fun place for expressing creativity and a "community." We're planning to have message boards where women can talk about the things that fill their busy lives and share what's important to them. We'll be there, too!

SUE McMILLAN
La Mesa, California

A & E Gal (Anything & Everything!)

Q. Background? Skills?
Stationery design and production. Card-maker since childhood. Marketing. Small, neat handwriting. (I can fit more on a note card than most people can on a sheet of letterhead!)

Q. Your "dream" Design-her Gal accessories?
Cats with audio that meow and a tennis court.

Q. Tell us about the Design-her Gals you left on the cutting room floor.
Well, we definitely scrapped some hairstyles that made us wonder what we were thinking when we thought them up. We decided that even if there are women out there wearing their hair that way, their Design-her Gals shouldn't!

Q. Why the Gal to Gal Foundation?
It is important to help those who may otherwise be overlooked - like people with Stage IV breast cancer, still trying to live their lives to the fullest.

Q. Your wish for the site?
I hope people have fun showing off their personality(ies).

Q. Anything else you want to say?
No, thanks. I'm pretty shy.

ESTHER LUC
Los Angeles, California

Graphic Designer/ Illustrator Gal

Q. Background? Skills?
I am proud to have contributed illustrations and graphic design into practically every facet of the designing world. Above all, I am the Vector Queen!

Q. Your "dream" Design-her Gal accessories?
A seven foot tall bar of semi-sweet chocolate.

Q. Why the Gal to Gal Foundation?
Cancer runs in my family and several people on my mother's side have been afflicted by it. I think cancer's roots have a hold on everybody's lives in some tendril or another.

Q. Anything else you want to say?
This is quite possibly the most fun I've ever had in designing. I can't wait for everyone else to discover her inner Design-her Gal and the community of women behind each and every Gal made.

JOSH ENGLISH
Los Angeles, California

Developer/ Software Engineer

Q. Background? Skills?
I'm a software engineer with a wide-ranging programming background. I've worked in numerous environments, from small virtual corporations to large Fortune 500 organizations, creating software ranging from small web applications to multi-million dollar enterprise application development projects.

Q. Your "dream" Design-her Gal accessories?
An SCCA race car, digital Gal that changes her expression and pose based upon twitter input that I can display on a web page, in a document, or in an email.

Q. Why the Gal to Gal Foundation?
I am both personally interested as well as philanthropically vested in the concept of supporting the emotional and financial well being of Stage IV breast cancer survivors, and I believe that the Gal-to-Gal Foundation is an excellent organization which provides a solution to these key issues.

Q. Your wish for the site?
I hope that it's able to be a successful fund raising initiative this year.

CYNTHIA LASHER
San Diego, California

Operations Guru

Q. Background? Skills?
I work in all areas of Design-her Gal Land-Business Development, Marketing and Community Support. I'm also a black belt in Tae Kwon Do with awesome nun chukka skills and I make a mean lasagna.

Q. Your "dream" Design-her Gal accessories?
A big cup of joe, a bialy, the latest Janet Evanovich book, and McDreamy (wouldn’t it be great if you could find him in fun stuff!?)

Q. Why the Gal to Gal Foundation?
Because every person living with Stage IV is someone’s daughter, sister or friend, and we need to make sure they know that as their disease progresses, they will not be alone.

Q. Most fun project that you've made on the site?
I have calling cards for each of my kids’ sports – with “soccer mom” and “football mom” t-shirts, pompoms and sports equipment. They are a big hit and I order them as gifts for the team mom, too!

AMY MAUK
Nashville, Tennessee

Illustrator Gal / Flash Gal

Q. Background? Skills?
I've been doing web design for about five years, and my turn-ons include Flash animation, illustration, and HTML.

Q. Your "dream" Design-her Gal accessories?
Platform boots and big jewelry! 

Q. Why the Gal to Gal Foundation?
I'm proud to be working for a company that tries to give back and help people, especially since several people close to me have been diagnosed with cancer.

Q. Your wish for the site?
That people will have fun here and keep helping us support a good cause!

DEBRA MILLS
Redmond, Oregon

Customer Service Gal

Q. Background? Skills?
I guess you could say I’m multi-talented.  I’ve worked in customer service for many years, and as a graphic designer, webmaster/designer, artist, beadworker, high-school English/Reading teacher, and many other jobs in between! I love to make people happy and have a passion for working with design and creating art.

Q. Your "dream" Design-her Gal accessories?
I would love to see some video game consoles or controllers. As a Mom with 3 boys, I have to keep up with the gaming in our house – a fun, family hobby! I know there must be other Moms out there who like video games, too.

Q. Why the Gal to Gal Foundation?
I lost my beautiful Aunt Sally to breast cancer at age 35, as well as many other members of my family to various forms of cancer. I currently have several members fighting this disease, including my father. The foundation is near and dear to my heart and I am grateful and awed by the foundation’s work, research, and wishes granted to help these brave men and women.

Q. Your wish for the site?
It is my hope that the site will spark creativity and allow women to express themselves and reconnect with their uniqueness - to let their personalities shine through in creating their virtual selves.

Q. Anything else you want to say?
I absolutely love Design-her Gals and hope that everyone who visits the site will have as much fun creating their gals and products as I do!