About
I was born in Africa and spent my childhood moving around the world.
My father was a petroleum geologist, and his work took our family to Singapore, Indonesia, Nigeria and Cameroon. By the time I graduated high school, I had lived on three continents, adapting to new cultures and asking questions about the people and places around me. That curiosity never left.
I attended The Masters School just outside New York City, where I discovered that curiosity is one of life's greatest gifts. I learned to ask questions fearlessly, listen deeply and make people feel comfortable enough to share their stories. I discovered that people share extraordinary things when they feel safe and seen. The school's motto, Do It With Thy Might, still guides me today.
My first job was at McDonald's in Plano, Texas, where I earned the restaurant's Founder's Day Outstanding Service Person award. I still think about that experience. It taught me that great work isn't about titles. It's about showing up, working hard, caring about people and doing small things exceptionally well.
I took those lessons with me to Texas Christian University and later to the newsroom of the St. Petersburg Times, now the Tampa Bay Times. For a decade, I covered crime, city government and county politics in one of America's fastest-growing regions. I knocked on doors after tragedies, sat through marathon public meetings and chased stories during hurricanes. Some of the best stories of my career came from conversations others thought would never happen.
That ability to connect with people has shaped every chapter of my career.
Today, I serve as an Executive Director of Communications at Duke University, where I lead strategic communications for a workforce of nearly 50,000 employees across Duke University and Duke Health. I oversee the award-winning Working@Duke communications portfolio, help shape stories that strengthen culture and belonging, and advise leaders navigating moments of change, opportunity and uncertainty.
But I've never stopped being a reporter at heart.
I'm fascinated by the stories people tell themselves and the stories they share with others. That curiosity led me back to Duke, where I earned a master's degree and researched how families cope with grief after fatal automobile crashes. The thesis was recognized as an Exemplary Master's Project.
It also led me to documentary filmmaking. Through Duke's Center for Documentary Studies, while working full-time, I produced The Mothers, a short film about mothers in Durham who support one another after losing children to violence. It remains one of the most meaningful projects of my life.
Along the way, I've earned national communications awards, taught journalism students and spoken at conferences across the country. Yet the work that matters most to me has stayed consistent: earning trust, helping people feel seen and telling stories that matter.
When I'm not working, you'll probably find me on a golf course trying to shave another stroke off my handicap, planning my next adventure with my wife, or spending time with Vinny, our mischievous silver Labrador, who is convinced the world revolves around him.
Truthfully, some days I think he's right.