My Professional Background

I am an experienced C-suite executive who has had the privilege of serving leaders for almost thirty years in both the nonprofit and the for-profit sectors. I have a passion for seeing already successful leaders excel still more and achieve things they barely thought were possible. 

 

My professional career took root in sales and marketing at the Hershey Company. Over time, I was charged with leading a high-profile sales and marketing team that was responsible for Hershey’s largest and most profitable product line: their single serve candy bar business generating over $1.5 billion dollars in annual sales. Leading a team of highly competent and committed people made working in the fast-paced, demanding corporate environment one of the most energizing and transformative experiences of my life.  

 

I eventually left the 100+ year-old Fortune 500 company to jumpstart a newly formed, nonprofit organization that develops aspiring, next generation leaders at some of our nation's most rigorous and established universities, including Princeton, Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Dartmouth, Columbia, Cornell and Penn. My leadership roles ultimately led me to serve as the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the entire organization. 

 

This experience was fulfilling for two reasons. First, the relationships I formed with hundreds of energetic and ambitious young leaders—many of whom are making the world a better place even as you read this—was immensely gratifying. Second, the challenge of helping grow an organization from five full-time employees to almost 80 and an annual budget from $500,000 to more than $12 million was very satisfying.

 

In addition to these experiences, I founded and run a nonprofit organization that gives forgotten and forsaken children in the US hope for the future. We design and fund experiences to give neglected children a taste of the common, everyday joys of childhood that often elude them.

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My Personal Interests

I am an avid sports fan. In addition to playing almost any sport that involves a ball (especially a small white one that rarely goes where I want it to), I am also a triathlete. In fact, I was recently celebrating the completion of swimming a personal-best distance of a mile and a half (108 lengths of a 25 yard pool) when my coach congratulated me on completing the distance his collegiate team swims to warm up for their practices. My glory was short-lived.

 

In addition to sports, I like fruit pie so much that I am literally growing an orchard of apple, cherry, peach, plum, pear, nectarine and apricot trees to ensure my wife has an adequate supply of fruit fillings for the homemade pies I hope she makes.

 

I like adventure and travel and have visited more than 25 countries on 5 continents (Antarctica and South America are still to come!).

 

But, most of all, I like to spend time with my wife of almost 25 years and our five extraordinary soon-to-be adopted foster children. My wife is the best thing about me, and everyone who knows her agrees. Our five children are some of my biggest personal heroes. When I grow up I want to have the courage, strength, resilience, hope and tenacity that they have. They have changed my life as much as I strive to change theirs. I hope you get to meet them someday!

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Coaching Credentials

I am an ACC certified coach through the International Coach Federation, the gold standard, governing body of the coaching industry.  In addition, I am a Certified Stakeholder Centered Coach through Marshall Goldsmith’s Stakeholder Centered Coaching, the #1 Coaching Development Program according to Global Gurus. 

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