Can you tell us a little about your background?
I started out the first 15 years of my career as an electrical engineer – specifically analog chip design – and have been doing software development of various kinds for the past 30 years or so. I have been married to Pam for over 40 years, have three daughters (Abby, Shelley, and Mandy), and currently have four grandchildren. Being a husband and father, and grandfather has been my inspiration. Outside my family, my true love is mathematics and playing classical guitar. In my younger years, I loved the NYC schoolyard pick-up basketball life.
What is something unique about you (a fun fact) that few people are aware of?
I was a childhood actor with an uncanny ability to memorize scripts and was once highlighted on NBC news playing my guitar and singing. All my teachers thought I would end up on Broadway. Boy, were they wrong 🙂
What’s one thing on your bucket list?
I would like to understand the formal proof for Fermat’s Famous Last Theorem.
What’s your favorite quote?’
Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results (Albert Einstein.)
If you could be any real person from any time period, who would it be and why?
I would want to be Steve Howe of Yes as he is, IMHO, the greatest guitarist who ever lived. I had the chance to meet him, shake his hand, and thank him for the decades of joy he brought into my life.
How did you get started in your industry?
Intrigued by the magic of computer simulation programs in the engineering world – which I used on a daily basis, I switched gears and self-educated myself on computer science and software development. My first professional programming job was writing software for electrical engineers.
What’s been your most interesting job so far?
Working in the EDA (Electronic Design Automation) space early in my career allowed me to travel around the world lecturing on an ANSI standard of which I was a committee member. Working at AmerisourceBergen gave me a chance to mature as a manager and player/coach. Working as a contractor for the George Bush Organization gave me a glimpse into the inner circle of the American government. Finally, working at CapStorm in a small entrepreneurial environment with the smartest people I know has been a joy.
What drew you to CapStorm?
It was somewhat accidental – I was recommended along with a colleague to build a piece of software for CapStorm, which I did as a side contract job. That evolved into a full-time position, and I am grateful for the opportunity to work with an outstanding group of people.
When you are at work, how do you motivate yourself?
It doesn’t take much, as I have been blessed that I love what I do and have never been bored. Don’t get me wrong; there are times that I want to play hooky, just as there are days when I don’t want to do my pushups. But just as I would never want to let me or my family down, I also don’t want to let the CapStorm team down, either. We’re lean and mean; every person counts, and I take that to heart. The team is depending on me not playing hooky.
What’s been your favorite project here so far?
CS:Govern, hands down. A brilliant piece of creativity out of the mind of Greg Smith that I am honored to have taken the lead on for getting production ready.
