This is my vocation, a representation of my priorities and life-work.
This work all started long ago in the suburbs of Detroit. I grew up with the Motor City work ethic in a socially and ethnically blended neighborhood, and earned a competitive swimming scholarship at the University of Louisville. There, I was a team captain and received the Ed Kallay student/athlete award for leadership and academic achievement my senior year. At Louisville, I earned a B.A. in Philosophy, and completed several graduate hours in Psychology. During the next decade I did “dirty jobs” long before the hit TV show, including cleaning gutters, farming, delivering pizzas, tending bar, coaching, and facilitating troubled youth in an outdoor adventure experience.
I returned to school to earn a Master’s in Administration, and then my Ph.D. in Organizational Development. I’ve been involved at multiple levels with Leadership Grand Rapids, and served on a number of boards. Since 1997, when I first moved to Grand Rapids, I have worked as a consultant, facilitator, and administrator. I am also an adjunct professor at Aquinas College in the Masters of Management program where I teach Organizational Theory and Organizational Behavior.
I’m compelled to share my services with churches and civic groups. Currently I provide pro bono services to Steepletown Neighborhood Association on the West Side of Grand Rapids. Pro bono work makes up some of my appointments each week.
My soul mate, business partner, and creative muse is my wife Katie. We live in West Michigan with our three beautiful children, Maeve, Huck, and Hudson.