After graduating college with a business degree, I decided I was going to be an English teacher. My last few semesters had been full of team projects and I found that more than a few of my classmates were really bad at writing. I figured I could help future generations do better by fixing their writing early. So I set about getting a high school teaching job.

An acquaintance was finishing up a finance internship with a local quasi-bank lending company and said they were looking for a marketing person. Couldn’t hurt to do one more interview, I thought. (Didn’t have a strong interview game and needed the reps.) Well they offered me the position and I took it and then the marketing director left after a couple years and I became the de facto head of marketing.

I share that because I didn’t set out to be a “marketer” of things. I fell into it a bit because I was drawn to copywriting, design, and how those things and technology can be used to tell stories and present solutions to people who need them.

So far, my time has been spent in smaller organizations who punch above their weight. Which means I wear a lot of hats. I’m good at switching gears, juggling projects, and guiding teams toward a shared goal. I like learning new things and I like being good at things, so I’m a quick study and I expect a lot out of myself and those around me. I operate with an “of course we can do it” mindset, but have also learned that saying “no” is necessary to maintain focus and excellence.

How about some non-career things? I grew up near Orlando, Florida in a small town called Clermont. It’s not so small anymore. I played baseball and basketball and taught myself how to play the drums. As an older version of myself I still moonlight as a drummer, mostly in country and jazz settings. I’ve coached my son’s baseball teams since 2021, and that’s a thing I find super rewarding. I think the idea of coaching is how I approach managing people in general — I want others to become the best version of themselves which in turn makes the team/organization better.

I hope this has been marginally helpful and enlightening. Either way, I’d love to hear from you. Thanks for reading. :)