Born and raised in Chicago, I did my Bachelor of Fine Arts at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) in the late 1980’s. While attending SAIC I met my wife and shortly after we both completed our degrees we moved to Edmonton, Alberta where she was originally from.
While working in the retail sector, I taught pottery and sculpture for the City of Edmonton’s “City Art Centre”; worked as a tour guide and instructor in the Edmonton Art Gallery’s Education Department; and eventually opened my own retail business.
We relocated to Manitoba in 2000 when my wife secured employment at the Art Gallery of Southwestern Manitoba. After working in the retail sector in Brandon for several years, I opened my own business and purchased and managed some rental properties. Through volunteering I became increasingly involved with non-profit organizations and service groups and served on several different boards. After several years as a member of Kiwanis I was asked to become the President and in 2022 became the co-chair of the Kiwanis Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committee.