I grew up in Philadelphia in a middle class family of four where we worked hard and played fair. Dad was a successful swimming coach and teacher, and mom raised us until we were old enough for her to work as an office manager for a dental practice. Despite humble beginnings, they raised two boys who both attended Princeton.

I had a successful high school football career on an undefeated team (guess it runs in the family…dad coached 15 consecutive undefeated teams!) Playing in college was exciting but injuries held me back, one that ended my career. But I learned to do other things senior year, and discovered my passion for writing, teaching and training people to flourish.

While working with P&G and PNC Corp., my faith became real and I began leading and teaching at church. I attended seminary to get more training and an MA, but not as a pastor. Instead I used my training to build strong groups and leadership teams, well led with great impact – in churches and in other settings, for Kingdom-focused impact. Soon we moved to Chicago in the 90’s and I helped build the 3,000-group ministry at Willow Creek, and travelled the world to help others build life-changing groups and teams. 

Along the way I earned a PhD in Adult Learning and Development, helping grad schools with leadership. In 2012, while teaching leadership courses at Trinity outside Chicago, an executive leadership coaching firm asked me to join them, adding a 12-year coaching emphasis to my existing leadership work. Now, all this experience comes together in my work with Convene.