Dorothy was born in San Francisco and lived in Chicago and in Philadelphia prior to moving to Los Angeles with her family at the age of 8. Dorothy is a graduate of Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon, with a BA in foreign languages. She is also a graduate of the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey with an MBA in international management. Dorothy has resided in Monterey since 1981 where she raised her two sons, Max and Daniel. In 1997, she married Steve. They became business partners in 2004 with the opening of offices in Monterey for First Pacific Financial Services. Dorothy also has her own creative design business, Daisigns, specializing in floral-inspired fabrics and gift cards.
Dorothy is a founding benefactor of The Marina Foundation and has served as treasurer since its inception up to 2020. Currently, she serves on the Board of Directors as vice president, operations. Prior to the founding of The Marina Foundation, Dorothy served as treasurer of the Marina International Festival of the Winds. Dorothy has taken an active role in the schools in the Marina community, serving on School Site Councils at the middle school and high school levels. She was also a member of the District Budget Advisory Committee (DBAC) for the Monterey Peninsula School District (MPUSD) for many years and is currently on the Marina High School Curriculum Design Team.
Dorothy and Steve co-chaired the effort to pass a local bond measure for the Marina Larger Library and served on its Board of Directors. Dorothy and Steve were named Marina's Citizens of the Year in 2002 and were recognized for their contributions to the Library on National Philanthropy Day in 2004.