Biography

Education:

• B.S. in Electrical Engineering
• M.B.A. in Finance
• J.D. in Law

Career:

• Attorney at Law – 15+ years
• Corporate – 13+ years corporate experience in engineering, finance and management at General Motors Corporation

Family:

• Married with two children attending school in Chapel Hill

I have been blessed during my life. My wife Mary and I have two boys, Harrison and Benjamin, who attend elementary school in Chapel Hill. We own our home and actively participate in various community, church, and professional organizations.

I grew up in the village of Poland, Ohio, the son of a laborer and homemaker, and one of five siblings. My father was a janitor in our public school system, who was disabled at the age of 43. Our family struggled to make ends meet. To help out, I worked part-time jobs throughout junior high and high school. I was fortunate to attain an excellent education from a terrific public school system. My childhood experiences motivated me to attend college. I look back fondly on those days--in a small town in America.

The first in my family to attend college, I earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering in 1981 and began a 13-year career with General Motors. First, as a product engineer, I advanced to lead engineer within three years. From 1984-1986 I earned an MBA, with a concentration in finance from Indiana University (IU). I returned to General Motors to work in finance and worked for the Saturn project, the Electric Vehicle program and the corporate finance group at GM headquarters. From 1990-1994, I attended law school at IU. From 1994 to the present, I have been a successful attorney, starting my own law firm in 2001.

Actively involved since 1990, I volunteer in church and civic organizations. I was Treasurer for the Knights of Columbus, a Co-Director of the Operation LAMB program (raise funds for the mentally handicapped in our community), and a fund raiser for the Boy Scouts. Professionally, I am a member of the American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA) since 1995 and have served as Vice-Chair and Chair of two committees.