Our SemDems July 2022 Activist of the Month was born and raised in Auckland, New Zealand (NZ). Her family moved to the US when she was 16 to help take care of her grandmother. Fiona is the oldest of 7 children, having three sisters and three brothers. Her Mom was a stay-at-home Mom until the last couple of years in NZ when she went back to teaching. Her Dad was a speculative builder in NZ. When they moved to the US, they bought two “ham” stores/delis and all of the children worked there at times.
She attended Cal State Fullerton earning a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting. She worked in Los Angeles in the entertainment industry as a tax accountant for Orion Pictures, Nelson Entertainment, and Warner Brothers. Fiona got married at 23 and had two adult children--Rachel is now 29 and Gregory is 26. Fiona and her family moved to Longwood in 1994 and she stayed home to raise their children. Fiona added her US citizenship in 2009.
Growing up in a country where even the police don’t carry guns, she has always had a problem with the “US gun culture” and gun violence. After the Pulse nightclub shootings, she became involved with the League of Women Voter’s gun safety committee and worked to try to get an assault weapons ban. After the Parkland school shootings, she joined Moms Demand Action to fight for sensible gun legislation.
Fiona joined Sem Dems while working on Tracey Kagan’s first campaign. Currently, she is helping Kristine Kraus and Autumn Garrick in Seminole County School Board races. She has been attending School Board meetings consistently since 2018 when arming teachers was on the table. She is very concerned about the recent attacks on public education by DeSantis and Moms For Liberty, etc. She has been a volunteer at the East Altamonte Boys and Girls Club for 6 years. Also, she is helping with Tiffany Hughes’ campaign for FLHouse 39. Fiona exclaims, “I am so excited to work with Tiffany…she is young, bright, enthusiastic, and has a fresh voice that our county and state need.” Fionna believes that working with the Sem Dems puts her in an environment with like-minded people. She enthuses, “It’s nice to be in a group of caring people who want the best for ALL!!”
Among her other interests, she is a tennis fanatic playing competitive tennis while growing up. She then played 4-5 mornings a week for about 18 years until the injuries caught up with her. Fiona has attended all 4 grand slam tournaments--Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open. Fiona also loves to travel and has encouraged her children to do so too.
When her daughter was a teacher with Teach For America and taught 8th grade in a Title 1 school in Jacksonville, Fiona volunteered at her school. She indicates that “It changed her life…and mine. It opened my eyes to how many of our children have experienced gun violence firsthand, and how many children are raising their younger siblings.” She says, “It made me determined to make a difference.” And, the SemDems agree—she certainly is making a difference!
