The homepage tells you what I’ve built. This is more about why, what has shaped me, and the ideas I keep coming back to.
I became a Resident Assistant at Colorado State University, and that turned out to be the pivot point for everything after it. I went from there to a master’s at Florida State, then into residence life leadership, then more than two decades building functions and organizations at Campus Advantage, and eventually to the first President of Centricity, where I turned a sponsored joint-venture concept into an operating shared-services company.
Different titles, same instinct underneath: I get energized by the challenge of turning an idea into something real, then helping it become stronger, clearer and more scalable.
I picked up rowing in my mid-forties and have since raced at the national level. My coaches taught me to stop forcing it: get a solid connection in the water before you push, then apply clean, smooth power through the stroke.
A strong individual rower can still make a boat slower if they are out of rhythm with everyone else. Leadership works the same way, with a solid connection to the team before the push.
When I left traditional higher education for the private sector, people sometimes joked that I was going to the dark side. What I found was the opposite: good business can extend impact farther.
Growing a business well increases scope because you grow by improving the fundamentals. Profit can enable impact, and impact can strengthen the business. That is what I mean when I say doing good and doing well are inextricably linked.
An ideal Saturday starts with an early row on Cherry Creek Reservoir, then family time and a project around the house. I love carpentry and woodworking, which is probably another expression of the same instinct that shows up professionally: I love to build.
I have three daughters and a wife of 26 years. They are my why, and central to what I value and the legacy I want to leave.
Culture is an operating system. It shows up in how decisions get made, what gets rewarded and what happens when things get hard.
Technology is a power tool. Its value is in removing friction and creating more room for judgment, creativity, empathy and leadership.
Leadership happens before the comma.* The function describes expertise. The word before it carries the greater responsibility.
Human impact is the point. The systems matter because of what they make possible for people.
How this shapes what I’m looking for →*Concept credited to Alex O’Brien, CEO of Cardinal Group.
I care deeply about performance, standards and results. I also believe teams do better work when there is room for humor, joy and the occasional willingness to look ridiculous.
Dressed as the coach at a Campus Advantage event.
I am a founding member of the leadership team of the College Student Mental Wellness Advocacy Coalition, and I still volunteer in that role. The coalition brings together the major student housing operators, together representing 800,000 students, in a joint effort to help students thrive.
At Project Worthmore, I help teach digital literacy classes for immigrants and refugees. We cover computer basics that help people become more adept with technology, and that can make a real difference in their lives.
I believe people generally want to do meaningful work and do it well. Leadership creates the environment where that becomes possible.
Book 30 minutes