I was raised in Michigan and have been an administrator for over 20 years. I was a middle school principal for almost 20 years, the Director of a Montessori High School, and for the past three years, I taught English and music and was the Head of Secondary Education at an international school in Qingdao, China.

I think service is important to teach at school and to live it.  I have served the educational community by advocating for middle level students most of my career.  I am the former president of the Association for Middle Level Educators, an international professional organization devoted to children’s education between the ages of 10 and 15.  I also served as president of the Michigan Association of Middle School Educators and sponsored the state conference at my former middle school in Monroe, Michigan. 

When I am not being the Head of School, what do I like to do?  I enjoy music.  I like to listen to a variety of music, and I also like to create music.  My main instrument is the trumpet, but as an instrumental teacher, I have dabbled in most band and string instruments.  My favorites are the string bass, French horn, and the alto saxophone.

My wife, Emilie, is a trained music educator and also a Montessori Toddler teacher.  She is currently working as Head of a Montessori Toddler program in Vilnius, Lithuania, which takes me away from school for a bit every month.   Emilie and I have one daughter, Lydia, who studies Chinese at the University of Michigan.