Gerrie grew up on a cattle farm in northern Illinois the middle of 3 children. She obtained a bachelor of arts degree in Social work from the University of Iowa in 1983. After college and traveling in southern Europe and the Middle East, she moved to Chicago, IL. Gerrie attended the University of Chicago where she received her master of arts degree in clinical social work and then worked in a variety of administrative and clinical positions in both public and private mental health settings for 12 years in the Chicago area.  

In 1995, while on a vacation to Sedona, Gerrie met Larry Rugoff at a dance performance on a rainy Valentine’s Day. Gerrie says she "fell in love with Sedona and liked Larry", but Larry always believed it was the other way around! Ready for some big life changes, Gerrie relocated from Chicago to Sedona. Larry sold Gerrie her first home, which led to both marriage and her discovering her love for real estate!

Together Larry and Gerrie renovated several homes in Sedona and then began working together to build new homes. They formed a development company and built 6 homes in Sedona, some which they lived in and others that were built just for sale as spec homes. Gerrie was actively involved with Larry and their architect, Eric Brandt, on the design and selection of interior finishes for these homes and in the supervision of the construction. 

While working with Larry to build homes, Gerrie worked professionally as a social worker developing programs in complementary medicine and patient and family support services for cancer patients and survivors. She also consulted with WellBeyond, a wellness provider and developer of the CancerFit program, in addition to maintaining a private therapy practice. 

After leaving oncology social work, Gerrie worked as Larry's unlicensed real estate assistant for several years, providing marketing and organizational expertise. Gerrie obtained her real estate sales license in 2002. Shortly thereafter, Larry was diagnosed with nonHodgkins lymphoma and Gerrie took over running Larry's real estate business, which then became Larry + Gerrie.

Gerrie obtained her Accredited Buyer Representative credentials and then her Broker's license in 2005. Larry, fully recovered, relocated to northern California in 2006. 

Gerrie recently remarried and maintains her full time real estate business while dividing her time between Sedona and Phoenix, where her husband Michael works. She is actively involved as a member of the Sedona Luxury Real Estate Professionals (SLREP) having served as chairperson of this dynamic group; serves as a volunteer for the Verde Valley Caregivers and has served as a board member and volunteer of the Sedona Arts Festival and Sedona Jazz on the Rocks. 

Gerrie enjoys travel, art, cooking, jewelry making, and staying fit in the beautiful outdoors.