Photo credit: Windows on Life Photography
Goal: Positive social impact by increasing capability and collaboration across academia, government, business and nonprofit realms.
I am a husband and a dad
My mission for my family is “becoming our best selves and bringing out the best in others.” I want us all to thrive. And I want my children to live in the world that Martin Luther King, Jr. envisioned, “where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”
I am a lifelong learner
A growth-mindset thinker, a tinkerer, an experimenter, and a strategic planner. My favorite questions start with “Why…” and “How can we improve…” Thinking positively and thankfully, appreciating that even what works well can be done better. Not afraid of failure, I intentionally push limits then adjust as necessary.
I am a dreamer and an idealist
Having grown up without a television, I spent most of my youth reading, playing, and developing my imagination. In my mind, anything can happen. I can have conversations, sometimes triggered by books or articles, with great philosophers or gurus, with adventurers, with famous leaders, with people who literally changed the world. They encourage me that I can make a difference. That I can help make society more just.
I am a doer
To me, having “faith to move a mountain” means that I take my shovel and start digging. And encourage others to do the same. Not haphazardly, but purposefully. I don’t give up. After love of learning, my highest character strength is perseverance. Which is helpful on my journey to actualize audacious social impact ambitions. Transforming dreams into reality is not an easy or short-term task. But deeply meaningful. Let’s dig deep together.
I am a citizen
During elections, I vote. Regardless of whether I ever run for political office, I am engaged in the process. If I do campaign for anything, it will be based on a platform of positive change based on metrics and clearly defined plans. Emphasizing what we will do and how, rather than focusing on fears or disparaging other candidates.
I am a traveler
Until college, my journeys were almost exclusively via books and my imagination. I am so tremendously thankful for libraries. When I was twenty years old, I flew on an airplane for the first time. In the twenty years since, I have had the wonderful privilege to travel and meet people in fifty different countries, opening my eyes to new cultures and perspectives.
My research interests
Motivation, engagement, teams, positive psychology, social impact, equity (gender, racial, intergenerational, socioeconomic), leadership, influence, change, spirituality, diplomacy, mediation, collaboration, education, gamification, metrics, data science, systems thinking.
My education
My university training emphasized hard skills: analysis, engineering, strategy, data driven decision-making, etc. Pride constrained my focus to “hard” courses, resulting in me receiving less exposure to social sciences. The MBA at Yale opened my mind to organization development. But a few “human skills” courses crowded into a two-year program cannot go deep. Ongoing learning the past ten years has been via books, articles, and groups like ODN Oregon, PMI Portland, and Lean Portland.
My experience
Project-based work using influence rather than direct authority. I’ve built high-tech facilities, transformed organizations, added cross-functional value, increased productivity, and changed mindsets.