I grew up in southern Illinois and attended undergrad at the University of Illinois in Urbana. I majored in engineering physics and minored in philosophy. I then went on to the University of Kansas in Lawrence for my Master’s and PhD. I ended up doing my PhD research in high energy, theoretical astrophysics. After my PhD, I transitioned from academia to industry. My first break was in South Carolina as a project manager for a textbook company. I then moved up the coast to Baltimore to work as an engineer at Northrop Grumman.

While working full time, I went back to school and earned my MBA at the University of Illinois. My wife jokes that I am a professional student. I do enjoy pushing myself and learning new things. I am passionate about using my technical background to guide business decisions to make the world a safer, better place. I am currently a Systems Engineering Manager at Northrop Grumman in Boulder, CO.

I enjoy being active and being outdoors. Therefore, some of my favorite things to do are road races, hiking, and attending live sports. My favorite outdoor sports experience has no competition; it is watching Kansas City win Super Bowl LIV in Miami. Another great experience was helping to set the Guinness World Record for the loudest indoor sporting event at 130.4 dbA. But my favorite indoor sports experience was watching KU’s triple overtime win over Oklahoma in 2016.