BA, Norwich University
ASME, Vermont Technical College
ASEE, Vermont Technical College

I was born and raised in Vermont which is not too different from Ashland, WI. Everything is just on a smaller scale here.

I'm curious. At age two I discovered the joy of banging things with a hammer and by age five thought I could create a robot out of TinkerToys and a cereal box. At age twelve I took apart my mother's brand new vacuum cleaner because I wanted to see how it worked. When I discovered the World Wide Web in 1995 I desperately wanted to be a part of it even though locating websites was a laborious process that relied on directories. There were no true search engines yet. Google didn't come online for another another three years.

I grew up on and around farms, fields, a large freshwater lake (Lake Champlain), mountains, rivers, and streams. Boy Scouts taught me the basics and I latched onto camping and hiking for a number of years. Scouts gave me an appreciation for the natural world. National Geographic expanded it and the more time I spend outside, the deeper my love for all things natural grows.

I've been a farmhand, high tech maintenance man, draftsman, UPS driver, help desk support, network admin, flower delivery driver, and even an organic gardener. But most recently I've been involved in website development, search engine optimization, and digital & print marketing for small to mid-size organizations. The online world and all its complexities and undercurrents comes natural to me because I had good teachers. Teachers is a misnomer because there weren't any classes on this stuff when I was learning. My teachers were the people who filled mail boxes with spam, built computer programs called bots, and tried all different ways to get the number one position on the search engines. They taught me how the web really works and how to play the game the right way.

I love working in higher ed. I've worked for Norwich University, American University, and George Mason University. It's thrilling to take an online presence the size of a small country and leverage it to achieve a goal. That's why I'm here. To help tell the Northland story to the prospects looking for the school to fit their hopes and dreams.

I built a career out of helping those who help others. Northland was a natural fit because it's such a great environment for students that want to learn the skills to make change in the world. I also love the attention on how to take care of oneself physically, spiritually, and mentally as they take on big challenges. I love Northland's mission and vision. I love the people I work with and both admire and vicariously share their adventures in the north woods. But perhaps my biggest 'why' is that I know my skills and experience are valued and have impact here where they can do a lot of good for others.

I'm a occasional runner, wannabe kayaker & mountain biker, Nordic skier, reader, gardener, handyman, and cook. I love to dabble with baking breads and playing Irish fiddle music. My biggest issue is I have too many interests so I try to keep it to a minimum. There simply isn't enough room in the house for all the gear!