Gina was born and raised in upstate South Carolina. As a child she enjoyed being outdoors, and had a soft spot for all animals and wildlife. She was always intrigued by birds and learned to identify a few of the common backyard birds by watching them at her grandmother’s feeders.
Fast forward to her college years and after three years at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, SC, she found herself moving around the world to Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, where she graduated from Macquarie University. What started out as a one-year venture turned into seven years, and a lifetime of memories. A position as an Incentives and Conventions Coordinator for Qantas Airways carried her to many countries and provided first-hand opportunities to learn about other cultures. Australia is where she fell in love with birds. Her backyard was filled with colorful Rainbow Lorikeets, Sulfur-crested Cockatoos, Kookaburras, and several species of parrots.
Once back in the United States, Gina developed a career in sales – from residential real estate to starting and running her own retail business. Gina and her husband Jeff live in Greenville, SC, where Jeff, a prosthetist/orthotist, also owns and operates his own clinic, Upstate Prosthetics. Their household consists of two French Bulldogs, Max and Chloe, a calico cat named Lulu, and four rescued parrots – Gizmo, Gabby, Gus, and Magoo. It’s Gabby, the African Gray, that inspired Gina’s eBird username and email address, “Gabby Girl.” They also have an adorable 3-year old granddaughter, Carsyn, who got her first pair of “noculars” for Christmas, and a second granddaughter arriving soon! Gina is hoping to introduce both girls to birding at an early age.
After 30 years of vacationing at Kiawah Island, they started looking for beach property to purchase and at the suggestion of their real estate agent, visited Seabrook Island. They immediately fell in love with Seabrook, and especially appreciated the tranquil environment, wildlife and beautiful birds.
A Black Skimmer caught their attention on the beach one day and sparked Gina’s interest in learning more about the birds of Seabrook Island. After attending her first bird walk in January 2022, Gina joined Seabrook Island Birders and the rest is history. In fact, it was birding that got her back into photography. Gina enjoyed taking photos of the landscapes, animals and birds during the time she lived in Australia, but as is the fate of many hobbies, family life and career came first and it was put on the back burner. She returned to photography as a way to help identify the birds she was seeing, and now it’s become her passion.
Gina currently serves on the Board of Directors as Vice President, holds the position of Communications Committee Chair, and assists with Activities, Shorebird Stewards, and other committees as needed.
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