Dina M. Moskowitz, 42, is chief executive officer, co-founder and a director of Critical Digital Data Inc., which develops and provides secure online storage solutions. Since 2006, she has been co-founder of PineappleHut Realty Inc., a San Diego-based real-estate brokerage. She is also founder and principal of Corporate Business Plan Associates.
Moskowitz has two children and is a member of the PTAs at La Jolla High School and Muirlands Middle School. She has also been on the board for Seacrest Village Retirement Communities, and has recently switched to a seat on its Foundation Board.
Additionally, Moskowitz is a member of the La Jolla YMCA, where her daughter participates on the award-winning traveling gymnastics team. She is also a member of the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce. Her company donates services to employees and volunteers of the San Diego Salvation Army.
What brought you to La Jolla?
I originally moved to La Jolla in 1988 after I graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with an economics degree from the Wharton School of Business. My first professional position was as a financial analyst and valuation consultant with Pacific Corporate Group, then on Prospect Street - an investment-banking job in paradise! I was the envy of my friends who went to Wall Street.
What makes this town special to you?
From a business climate perspective, this region cultivates a "can-do" entrepreneurial business attitude where it's all about what you're doing and creating now, as opposed to having to navigate through an "old boys" network or bide your time to climb the corporate ladder. As a result, so much innovation stems from the area.
From a personal perspective, La Jolla is just an exceptionally great community to be a part of - the holiday parades and street festivals, the way the shopkeepers support the schools and students, and the sheer beauty of the town - all contribute toward it being a great place to live. As an "insider" or resident, it's one of the few coastal towns in San Diego that has a more traditional, old-fashioned feel to it, yet we still manage to maintain a worldwide reputation as host to so many visitors from around the globe.
If you could snap your fingers and have it done, what might you add, subtract or improve in La Jolla?
I would most definitely improve the traffic flow in and out of La Jolla where LJ Shores and LJ Parkway and Torrey Pines intersect.
Who or what inspires you?
My kids, without a doubt. Noah is 15, a sophomore at La Jolla High, and Sophie is 13, an eighth-grader at Muirlands Middle School. Every day I'm learning something new about them and about myself. Secondarily, I'm inspired by entrepreneurs and great thinkers who are just born to create.
If you hosted a dinner party for eight, whom (living or deceased) would you invite?
I would invite all of my great grandparents (none of whom I ever had the opportunity to meet or know).
Tell us about what you are currently reading.
I just completed "Three Cups of Tea" by Greg Mortenson. Highly recommend it!
What is your most-prized possession?
Interestingly enough, it's my company's new product - the HomeDataGuard Online File Cabinet because it actually allows me to digitally protect and preserve copies of my prized possessions, documents, photos, home inventory, etc. It's been a great place to put things like old family photos and videos, which I'd like to protect.
What do you do for fun?
Several mornings each week, I take my dog, Toby, for a long walk along Coast Boulevard in the Cove. I love to do the hike from Torrey Pines to Flat Rock, and I need yoga.
Please describe your greatest accomplishment.
Of course raising my kids is the absolute greatest thus far. But I live my life as if the greatest one is still yet to come.
What is your motto or philosophy of life?
We each have it in us to create an amazing life journey. Don't get boxed in and wait around for things to happen - make them happen yourself - don't be afraid to try.
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