Who I Am
Though I grew up in San Jose, I have lived in Nevada for more than 37 years. I’ve been told that (almost) makes me a native. Almost.
I graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara with a degree in Business Economics. Along the way, I served in student government as an executive officer of the Associated Students Legislative Council, and was awarded a UCSB University Service Award.
After I moved to Reno, I met my wife, Rita, on the University of Nevada, Reno campus, where she was a Student Services professional and I was a community volunteer.
Rita and I raised our son, Aaron, in Sparks and Reno. Upon graduation from the University of Oregon, he moved to Xi’an, China where he taught English for six years and met his lovely wife, Sarah. They now live in Reno and have blessed us with a beautiful granddaughter, Joy. As grandparents who place a high value on education, Rita and I are determined that Joy receive the greatest public education our community has to offer.
While my 32-year career has been spent in financial services, rising to the level of Senior Vice President - Investment Officer for a large, multi-national company, my heart and volunteer time have always been in education — pre-kindergarten through college. In addition to educating my clients about how to best accomplish their financial goals, I have also donated countless hours to some very important non-profit organizations, including:
Board Member
The Nevada Council to Establish Academic Standards’s role is to establish rigorous, measurable standards in English language arts, mathematics, science, social studies, computer and technology education, health and physical education, and the arts, with a goal of improving the academic achievement of Nevada’s students.
During my tenure on the board, we dealt with No Child Left Behind, Race to The Top and Common Core, plus a recession with its accompanying budget cuts.
Board Member/Past President
The Education Alliance of Washoe County brings together the entire spectrum of pre-K through university educators, Reno/Sparks business leaders, elected officials and parents to address issues facing all levels of public education in our community. It was the first organization in Northern Nevada to bring all of these stakeholders together at the same table for a common purpose. During my time on the Board and as President, we managed the Partners in Education (PiE) program, the Teachers’ Warehouse and founded Run for Education.
We published the WCSD Data Profile, and advocated locally and in Carson City for issues impacting pre-K to higher education. We were deeply involved in discussions focused on graduation rates, high school to college articulation, remediation, Read by 3, public education budgets and more.
Mentor/Reader/Soccer Coach,
Partners in Education
Through my Lions Club, I mentored three different K-6 students at Roger Corbett Elementary School, read to classes and, for nine seasons, coached their Great Basin soccer team.
Task Force Member
Through the Office of Career, Technical and Adult Education, the task force studied and reported on developing standards for workplace readiness. This work led to a set of well-defined standards aimed at guiding the preparedness of students for any career.
Trustee and Past President
Through the Lions Eye Foundation of California-Nevada, we provide free eye surgery to uninsured, low-income residents of Northern Nevada and California. Each year the retail value of our services is approximately $6 million.
Member and Past President
The Reno Host Lions Club‘s role is to provide service to our community with a focus on youth and the visually impaired.
Through my volunteer work and Rita’s job as an administrator and educator at the University of Nevada, I’ve seen gaps that needed to be filled. As a first generation college graduate, Rita knew first-hand how hard it can be to focus on higher education, so we established a UNR scholarship supporting first generation students. Later, we established a second scholarship; this one supporting women in leadership.
During the COVID shutdown, we found out about many students who were struggling, so we began contributing to the College of Education’s Student Emergency Fund. This money is used to support students who need emergency help with paying for tuition, food, housing, health care (including mental health care) or childcare.
We have supported the Dean’s Future Scholars for many years, again focusing on helping low-income, first-generation students gain access to, and successfully complete their higher education.
And what kind of husband would I be if I wasn’t a lifetime UNR Alumni Association member? Though I didn’t graduate from UNR, I felt it was important to support my wife’s alumni association.
I have also taught finance classes for both TMCC Community Education (now EPIC) and UNR’s Elder College (now OLLI).
Okay, enough about me. Let’s talk about you. What are your thoughts on our state’s higher education system and what can we be doing to make it better?
Please shoot me an email or give me a call and let’s talk.
Why I'm Running
I’m running for the University Board of Regents because I believe all of our children have the right to dream big, and one of the greatest pathways to achieving dreams in America is being able to pursue a higher education. Our colleges and universities must be accessible, affordable shining stars that help bring dreams to life.