I have been a technology entrepreneur - or, as my father always said, “never had a real job” - since I started my first company at the age of 23. I have been starting, growing, and building businesses ever since. I have had some wonderful successes, some strikeouts, and some that fell in between. I figure, along the way, that I have learned much more from my failures than from my successes. I have been fortunate enough to work with some extremely talented people. I believe business is all about putting together the right team, setting goals, staying focused, being fanatical about customer service and then rigorously executing your plan. That’s how we work at here at Care2Learn.
It is my belief that life is all about the journey, not the destination. In the same way, building a great company is a never-ending quest to get a little bit better every day. I love what I do at Care2Learn - it is extremely challenging as well as very exciting. We have a great team that has a lot of fun working together, and we have many wonderful clients and partners. What more could anyone ask for!
One of the reasons I am always passionate about Care2Learn is because we are in the “learning” business. I have always loved learning and education. I believe that education is one of the few things that can actually change people’s lives. As our mission statement says,”we help people achieve their goals, advance their careers, and enrich their lives through education” ...all-in-all pretty cool stuff if you ask me!
A little bit more about my background: I spent two years on Microsoft's Partner Advisory Council, which was a great experience. At that time I believe Microsoft was arguably the best-run large company in the world, and this is coming from someone who is not exactly an admirer of big companies. I have also served as a judge for Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur of the Year Award, and have been nominated twice myself. I find it interesting that while I never won this award, they felt I was qualified to judge it. I am also co-founder and former president of the Tampa Bay Technology Forum (TBTF), and presently serve on its Board of Directors.
I am very active in the technology community in Florida and believe that growing our technology base is vital to our future and to our children’s future. I have a long association with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Tampa Bay, and have served on its Board of Directors for over 10 years. I am also a past Trustee of the University of Tampa.
On the personal side, I am originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I love living in Tampa, Florida and have been here for almost 20 years. We obviously have great weather most of the year and I live so close to the Care2Learn office that I can, and some times do, ride my bike to work. I am an avid golfer, skier, runner, biker, girls’ softball coach, and fitness enthusiast, and I occasionally participate in triathlons. My favorite thing in the world is spending time with my 11 year old daughter who is the light of my life.