My wife, Kimberly, and I moved to Elkin, North Carolina in July 2020. We love small towns and have lived in 5 of them over our 44 years of marriage. We were impressed with the people who welcomed us, bought a house, and found a good church. Today, we enjoy the local restaurants and shops, walking the trails, visiting the mountains, and plan to retire here. 

I was born and raised in Charleston, South Carolina, and graduated from Bishop England High School in 1970. My father was a Charleston high school principal while my mother taught in the Charleston County school district. I also have a sister and brother who are both professionals in their respective careers. 

After high school, I attended the University of Notre Dame and graduated with a B.A. degree in English Literature. Ten years later, I received my M.S.B.A. in Organizational Development from the Indiana University Northwest School of Business. My professional involvement includes membership in the National Association of Workforce Development Professionals and International Economic Development Council. I served as the President of the Indiana Job Training Professional Association for two-years and was a certified member of the United States Professional Tennis Association coaching several ranked players in Northern Indiana. 

The two most important decisions of my life occurred in 1979, when I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. It transformed me as a man and led to meeting my wife, Kimberly, who’s professional career was in education. We have three adult children and three grandchildren. 

My professional career includes serving as a CEO for a variety of quasi-government and non-profit organizations in the United States and Canada over forty plus years. My responsibilities included working with leaders in government, business, industry, education, organized labor, and the community at the local, state and national levels, while managing budgets from $3 million to over $16 million dollars. My primary areas of focus included vision casting, strategic planning and management, fundraising, and community engagement. 

During my career, I was a member of a Rotary Group Study Exchange Team to Kolkata, India to spread goodwill and a national fact-finding team to Berlin, Germany to study the German dual-system of education. Indiana governors also appointed me to serve on Indiana state-wide commissions setting policy for secondary and post-secondary education, economic development, adult education, and workforce development.

God has given me leadership skills, and the ability to see things from both traditional and non-traditional ways of thinking. I love leadership and know how to work with individuals at all levels of organizations and different socio-economic backgrounds. I have found the key element in interacting with others is treating them with dignity and respect.

Leadership is a humble vocation. Thus, I humbly ask for your consideration when you cast your vote for Mayor of Elkin in early voting between October 17 - November 2, 2024, and on Tuesday, November 5, 2024.