Margaret Finlay - Duarte Ward

My name is Margaret Finlay.  I am 67 years old, married to my college sweetheart, Brad, for 45 years, have raised 5 children, all of whom graduated from BYU Provo and married people that are all BYU graduates.  Brad and I have 19 grandchildren.  We are convert members of the church, joining 30 years ago - and it was the best decision we have ever made.  Our three sons served missions in different parts of the world - and when I tell people that in our family 6 languages are spoken fluently other than English (Spanish, Portuguese, French, Norwegian, Italian and Samoan), it is always a good opening for talking with people about the gospel of Jesus Christ.  We hope to serve a mission one day ourselves but until that time we will serve the people of our community.

Professionally, I have a BBA in Marketing and a Masters in Public Administration.  I have been a member of the Duarte City Council for the past 31 years, serving as Mayor for 7 terms.  I have been very fortunate to serve on regional, state and national boards, meeting many people from around the world.  I have had opportunities to speak at conferences  in Japan, Korea, Israel, Jordan, Australia and New Zealand.  Much of the focus of my work centers around risk management for municipalities and ensuring that local governments, the governments closest to the people, stay strong.