Hi y’all! My name is Christine Gildersleeve. It’s almost easier to tell you where I am not from, than where I am from. I was born into a military family which meant that from the get-go I was on the move. Born in Texas but raised predominantly in the Pacific Northwest (or PNW as us Seattleites call it) I have always felt an innate desire to be close to the ocean. As a child I spent many of my vacations in the Southern Outer Banks (SOBX) of North Carolina. My mother is a Carolina girl and my father actually got transferred back to her home town when I was in high school. It was a lot of fun going to the same high school as my mom and having my extended family close-by.

I have the best set of parents anyone could ever want. My father is a 26 year military veteran (USCG), retired school teacher, and was a deacon in our church when I was growing up. For fun in retirement he and my mother volunteer at different National Parks and military campgrounds. My mother was a pre-school teacher and homemaker my entire childhood. I loved growing up in a military family, it made me an outgoing person and I have always said “I have never met a stranger”!  I have two children, Claira – who turned 20 in February and Joseph (Joey) – who turned 3 last November.

I started working in higher education at Eastern Kentucky University in 2008 hoping to utilize the staff tuition waiver to finish up a BA. While I was at EKU I actually finished both a BA (in Criminal Justice) and received a MA in Student Personnel. I came to UK last May looking to work with students in a different capacity. I love working in the Department of Chemistry, I have great colleagues and have a terrific support system. Maybe one day I will start working on a PhD but for now I am enjoying getting to know everyone at UK and learn all I can about A&S and my position within the college.

In my spare time, I enjoy travelling to see my family in the SOBX of North Carolina and spending time locally outdoors with my son. I also enjoy going to the drive-in movies in the summer.

My favorite movie is Gone With the Wind. My mother and I enjoyed watching this movie every Thanksgiving as I was growing up. It’s a fun memory that we share of my childhood.

My favorite childhood memory of my father would be the summer I was 15 and he took me on a 2-week trip around the western United States on the back of his Honda Gold Wing. We saw some of the most beautiful places and had an incredible time alone together, this is a memory I will always treasure.

Are you a cat or dog person? I like animals in general but do not have any currently. If I was going to get a pet I would probably get a small dog.

My favorite food is macaroni and cheese, but not just any mac-n-cheese it has to be my mother’s homemade baked mac-n-cheese with white sauce. It is the best!!!

I have never had a brush with fame where something incredible happened to me, however I have met many famous people throughout my life including Sally Field, Tracy Gold, Candace Cameron, Tom Skerrit, and Justin Furstenfeld.