I’ve been fortunate to live a life full of service and adventure. I spent five years on active duty in the U.S. Army. After my time in uniform, I traded desert sands for wildfires, working as a wildland firefighter with the Bureau of Land Management across the western U.S., especially in northwest Colorado. Later, I served as a federal officer with the U.S. Department of Labor in West Texas.

These days, I work closer to home as Assistant Director for Associated Universities Incorporated, which manages facilities like the Green Bank Observatory. When I’m not at work, you’ll usually find me outside—hiking the trails of West Virginia, climbing to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, or trekking through the Andes of South America. No matter how far I travel, though, I always find myself drawn back to my favorite place: West Virginia.

I live in Elkins with my amazing wife, Glenna, our two daughters, Mary and Rachel, our three dogs—Mounty, Jasper, and Morty—and our two cats, Phil, and Noodles.