Get To Know The Leadership Team

Can you share a bit about your professional background?

I began my journey in the veterans’ space as an active-duty Army officer. I joined the Army in 2008 after college and was commissioned in 2009 as a Quartermaster Lieutenant. Over my 12+ years of active-duty service, I advanced to the rank of Major as a logistics officer and retired in my hometown of Chicago in 2021. In October of 2021, I was given the opportunity to continue serving the military and veteran community as the Director of Veterans Affairs for Cook County, IL. In this position, I utilized my strategic thinking, planning, and experience to design and implement the County’s first veterans’ grant program and restructure the department to enhance both direct and indirect support for the military and veteran communities of Cook County.

What inspired you to join the RLD Foundation?

My inspiration to join the RLD Foundation came from reading its mission and the goals for its Veterans Program. I was fortunate to develop close relationships with nonprofits, municipalities, businesses, and wellness providers here in Cook County. Through this work, I gained an in-depth understanding of the services these entities provide, as well as their emerging needs for support. Joining the RLD Foundation allows me to expand the support and services available to these organizations that sustain the veteran community here. At the RLD Foundation, I know I can make a meaningful impact with a team dedicated to making the world a better place.

What does your role as Program Director, Veterans entail?

At a surface level, the most direct answer is creating a grant program to meet the needs of the military and veteran community. However, when you dig deeper, the role encompasses much more. It involves identifying and defining the needs of veterans as individuals and as a community, strategizing ways to address those needs, building systems with community partners, and creating sustainable, replicable change that advances our veteran communities.

What drives your passion for the Military and Veteran Community?

Love and service. As a service member, I truly understood the impact of my work when I traveled home for R&R from Afghanistan. For the first time in nine months, I had no weapon to defend myself and was in an uncontrolled environment. Despite my initial unease, I noticed that everyone around me was carefree, living their lives without fear. At that moment, I realized the significance of my service and that of other veterans and service members—we provide peace of mind to the American people. Although I can no longer serve in uniform, I can still support and serve in other capacities, and I deeply love that I have this opportunity.

What are the Foundation’s main goals for supporting the Military and Veteran Community in the Chicagoland area?

The primary goals include supporting the successful reintegration of service members into the community, advancing the health and well-being of military personnel and veterans, and creating workforce opportunities, including entrepreneurship. As we refine and expand these goals, we will better understand how to address community needs on a broader scale.

What kind of support or resources does the Foundation look to provide for the Chicagoland Military and Veteran Community?

In addition to offering direct support through grant funding, the Foundation is committed to developing and empowering key leaders within the military and veteran community. While grants and funding are essential, creating sustainability requires empowering communities to take ownership and pride in their respective areas. Leadership development will be a central element of the Foundation’s support strategy.

What are some of the biggest challenges the Military and Veteran Community in the Chicagoland area face today?

Challenges include limited availability and accessibility of senior veteran services, inadequate transportation options for veterans in areas not served by public transit, and a significant lack of information sharing and understanding among organizations and service providers within the veterans’ network.

How does the Foundation plan to help overcome these obstacles?

During this initial phase, the Foundation is focused on understanding the root causes of systemic social issues and inequalities within the ecosystem. By identifying these core challenges, we aim to create strategic support and funding solutions that provide immediate assistance while fostering long-term systemic change.

What measurable impact does the Foundation aim to have on this community?

Stabilization and sustainment. The veteran community is inherently strong but often faces systemic shortcomings. As the needs of service members and veterans have evolved over time, so too have the gaps in support, benefits, and services. The Foundation aims to address these shortcomings by tackling the root causes of systemic issues and leveraging insights from community voices, the VA, and other critical sources to drive meaningful, measurable change.

What role does data play in your efforts?

Data forms the foundation for investigation and understanding. I’m passionate about data because, through analysis, investigation, and critical thinking, it provides insights into ecosystems and reveals the “why” behind surface-level issues. Without data, it’s easy to misinterpret problems. To achieve real, sustainable change, we must move beyond addressing symptoms and focus on identifying root causes through rigorous data analysis.

When you’re “off the clock,” what activities or interests do you enjoy?

Spending time with my son brings me the greatest joy. Whether we’re traveling to new countries, hiking through rainforests, scuba diving, or I’m cheering him on as the loudest mom in the stands, I cherish every moment we share. I’m focused on creating memories and enjoying these years together.

BACK TO TOP

Can you share a bit about your professional background?

Throughout my career, I’ve been dedicated to creating impactful, sustainable solutions that address systemic inequities and support disinvested communities. With over two decades in the social impact sector, I’ve worked across diverse areas, including community and economic development, family systems, innovative ownership models, and evaluation. My work is grounded in the belief that lasting change is achieved through thoughtful, strategic collaboration.

With expertise in private and corporate philanthropy, state government, nonprofit leadership, and as a practitioner, I’ve designed and implemented programmatic strategies to create economic opportunity and empowerment. I’ve launched funder collaboratives, built cross-sector partnerships, and developed creative approaches to using philanthropic tools to remove barriers to capital access. My career reflects the power of collective action in driving meaningful, lasting change.

What inspired you to join the RLD Foundation, and what does your role as Program Director, Strong Families entail?

I was drawn to the RLD Foundation because its core values of learning, humility, and partnership closely align with my own, and I believe these values are fundamental to effective philanthropy. The power imbalance that often exists between foundations and the organizations seeking resources can create barriers to true collaboration, even when both share common goals. By openly addressing this dynamic, we can foster stronger, more equitable partnerships that lead to greater impact.

In my role, I am committed to embodying this philosophy by prioritizing active listening and learning through partnerships, using both qualitative and quantitative data as critical drivers of decision-making, and integrating reflection and evaluation to continuously improve our approach.

What are the Foundation’s main goals in fostering strong families in the Chicagoland area?

Our goals will continue to evolve as we engage with and learn from the communities we serve. We recognize that systemic inequities have precipitated profound disparities in economic mobility and health, particularly for families living in historically disinvested communities.

Concurrently, we acknowledge the inherent resilience, strength, and agency of families. This understanding will serve as the cornerstone for shaping our strategies moving forward. Our efforts will be concentrated on identifying and addressing the systemic barriers that impede family well-being, with particular emphasis on critical domains such as housing, education, workforce development, and healthcare—key determinants of family stability and socioeconomic opportunity.

What are some of the biggest challenges that families in the Chicagoland area face today?

Families in the Chicagoland area face a range of challenges shaped by systemic inequities, economic conditions, and social factors. The ongoing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have exacerbated these issues, deepening inequalities in healthcare, education, and employment, and making recovery more difficult for vulnerable families.

Key challenges include limited access to quality jobs, affordable and secure housing, quality childcare, healthcare and mental health support, and social connectedness.

What role does data play in your efforts?

Both qualitative and quantitative data will be essential in informing our efforts across programmatic areas. I am particularly enthused by the RLD Foundation’s commitment to prioritizing data and learning from the outset. This strategic focus will help cultivate a robust culture of learning, enable ongoing reflection, and facilitate iterative improvements that enhance our work overtime.

When you’re “off the clock,” what activities or interests do you enjoy?

I have seven-year-old twins who bring both energy and joy to my life. Outside of work, I am actively involved in my neighborhood school and community, contributing to efforts that support the broader Chicago area and help drive positive change across the city.

BACK TO TOP

Can you share a little bit about your professional background?

I bring over 15 years of experience in innovation, entrepreneurship, and social impact, closely aligning with RLD Foundation’s mission to empower underrepresented communities and drive equitable economic growth. At the Kaplan Institute, I led initiatives like the Genisys venture immersion program, which provided underrepresented entrepreneurs with mentorship, funding, and technical support to build and scale sustainable businesses.

At GET Cities, I advanced equity and inclusion by creating programs that increased representation of women in tech and established partnerships with corporate and community stakeholders to address systemic barriers. Additionally, during my time at the World Bank, I focused on empowering small and medium-sized enterprises in emerging markets through capacity building and cross-sector collaborations.

Across these roles, I’ve been committed to designing and implementing programs that address systemic challenges, foster innovation, and create lasting impact—values that deeply resonate with the RLD Foundation’s mission.

What inspired you to join the RLD Foundation, and what does your role as Program Director, Entrepreneurship entail?

I was drawn to the RLD Foundation’s mission of fostering equity and driving systemic change through innovative philanthropy. This aligns deeply with my career-long focus on supporting underrepresented communities and building inclusive ecosystems. Through my work at the Kaplan Institute, GET Cities, and the World Bank, I’ve witnessed how access to resources, mentorship, and strategic support can transform the trajectories of entrepreneurs and their communities.

As Program Director of Entrepreneurship, my role focuses on designing and implementing programs that empower Chicago-based entrepreneurs by providing access to critical funding, technical support, and mentorship opportunities. I aim to cultivate a collaborative and equitable entrepreneurial ecosystem in Chicago by building partnerships with accelerators, nonprofits, and corporate stakeholders. Additionally, I will develop data-driven frameworks to measure program outcomes and ensure that the RLD Foundation’s efforts create sustainable economic and social impact.

What drives your passion for entrepreneurship specifically?

I believe entrepreneurship is a powerful catalyst for economic empowerment and social mobility. Throughout my career, I’ve been dedicated to creating opportunities for historically underrepresented communities by addressing systemic barriers that limit access to resources, networks, and capital.

Designing and leading initiatives that empower entrepreneurs, foster innovation, and build ecosystems that drive sustainable growth has been incredibly rewarding. I’m excited to continue driving meaningful impact by supporting entrepreneurs and promoting economic development in the Chicago region and beyond.

How does the RLD Foundation define and support entrepreneurship?

At RLD Foundation, entrepreneurship is viewed as a powerful engine for economic empowerment and innovation, particularly within underrepresented communities. Our approach centers on providing entrepreneurs with access to financial capital, technical assistance, and relational networks while fostering an equitable and inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Community engagement is central to this effort. By collaborating with the communities we aim to serve, we ensure our strategies are both responsive and impactful. Working hand-in-hand with local stakeholders allows us to design programs and opportunities that address systemic barriers and empower entrepreneurs to create thriving businesses that drive individual and community success.

What are the Foundation’s main goals in fostering entrepreneurship in the communities you serve?

Our main goals include increasing access to essential resources for Chicagoland’s founders, driving equitable economic growth, and building sustainable entrepreneurial ecosystems that deliver long-term benefits to both entrepreneurs and the communities they serve.

We employ a data-driven strategy to ensure our programs are impactful and adaptive. By leveraging both qualitative and quantitative data, we identify gaps in access to financial capital, technical support, and networks, enabling us to target resources where they are most needed.

Our initiatives prioritize sustainability and inclusivity, focusing on long-term growth and resilience for businesses led by historically underrepresented founders. By aligning our efforts with measurable outcomes—such as job creation, enhanced community economic health, and stronger entrepreneurial networks—we aim to create pathways for economic mobility and broader community impact.

What kind of support or resources does the Foundation look to provide for aspiring entrepreneurs?

We provide grants, mentorship, technical assistance, and access to networks. Additionally, we partner with local organizations and accelerators to offer tailored resources that address the unique needs of early-stage and underrepresented entrepreneurs.

What are some of the biggest challenges that early-stage and underrepresented entrepreneurs face today?

Key challenges include limited access to capital, constrained networks, and a lack of tailored support. Systemic barriers often prevent underrepresented founders from securing the funding or mentorship needed to scale their businesses.

At RLD Foundation, our mission is to break down these barriers by creating equitable opportunities for entrepreneurs in Chicago. We are committed to providing targeted resources, fostering inclusive networks, and delivering tailored support to ensure underrepresented founders have the tools and connections necessary to succeed and drive economic growth in their communities.

How does the Foundation look to help them overcome these obstacles?

We address these challenges through targeted grantmaking, partnerships with accelerators, tailored technical assistance, and mentorship programs, ensuring underrepresented entrepreneurs can overcome systemic barriers and thrive.

What measurable impact does the Foundation look to have on local or regional entrepreneurial ecosystems?

The RLD Foundation aims to empower entrepreneurs to achieve long-term success, create jobs, and stimulate economic growth in under-resourced communities throughout Chicago. Success will be measured by key metrics such as business growth, job creation, and the resilience and sustainability of the entrepreneurial ecosystem we’re building.

By fostering a diverse, inclusive, and well-supported network of entrepreneurs, we aim to drive meaningful, community-centered impact and long-term economic transformation.

What role does data play in your efforts?

Data is central to our strategy and decision-making processes. By leveraging both quantitative and qualitative data, we can identify gaps in resources, measure program outcomes, and refine our approach to address the evolving needs of entrepreneurs.

Tracking key metrics—such as business growth, job creation, and network expansion—ensures accountability and allows us to adapt our strategies to maximize impact. This data-driven approach supports our goal of driving equitable economic growth in under-resourced communities.

What are your aspirations for the entrepreneurship programs that RLD Foundation will support over the next five years?

My aspiration is to establish the RLD Foundation as a leading force in fostering inclusive entrepreneurship. I envision creating programs that break down systemic barriers, scale impactful initiatives, and build a resilient, diverse entrepreneurial ecosystem in Chicago and beyond.

When you’re “off the clock,” what activities or interests do you enjoy?

I enjoy conversations, concerts, cooking, and quality time with my friends and family. I also love hiking, exploring new foods, reading nonfiction, poetry, and traveling.

BACK TO TOP

Can you share a bit about your professional background/experiences?

After completing my master’s degree  at Loyola University Chicago, I began my career in higher education administration/student affairs at the University of Central Florida. After three years, I returned to Loyola University Chicago, where I served as an Associate Director of Residence Life for seven years. In this role, I  oversaw staff training and development, collaborated on university-wide initiatives, and was a part of the departmental leadership team.

Wanting to explore new opportunities, I decided to pursue work in the non-profit sector, and eventually found myself at Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago (BGCC)where I worked for eight years as the Director of Executive Operations. In this position, I worked alongside the President and CEO, leading administrative processes, providing strategic support, and serving as a liaison to the organization’s Board of Directors.

What inspired you to join the RLD Foundation?

A mentor forwarded the position at RLD Foundation, believing it could be a good fit for me. My initial excitement about the position  grew as I learned  about the Foundation’s mission, priorities, and approach to addressing the issues facing veterans, families, and entrepreneurs today.

 I’ve always said that who I work for and with is more important than what I do on a daily basis. During the interview process, I quickly got a sense of Paul’s thoughtfulness, wisdom, optimism, humility, and deep commitment to making a meaningful difference. I was drawn to the possibility of being part of the venture he was building from scratch. Since starting, I’ve seen that these characteristics are not only present in Paul’s leadership but also intentionally infused into the team he’s assembled.

While I was inspired to join the Foundation from the start, it’s been incredibly affirming to see that inspiration grow as I’ve become more embedded in the work at the RLD Foundation.

What does your role as Director of Executive Operations entail?

In my role, I provide direct support to Paul as the Executive Director, as well as indirect support to the rest of the leadership team and the RLD Foundation board members. As we scale up, I’ll help establish and refine operations, processes, procedures, and policies to ensure the RLD Foundation is set up for success. I serve as a primary point of contact for the Office of the Executive Director, managing and redirecting outreach while providing administrative and strategic support to the team.

In addition to the role I play in day-to-day operations, I’m excited to take on special projects to advance the organization’s short- and long-term vision. My role allows for detailed routine work (e.g., meeting planning, logistics, outreach response) while also affording me the opportunity to contribute to big-picture tasks like strategic planning support.

How does your role help support the overall mission of the RLD Foundation?

The mission and vision of the RLD Foundation are significant in both scope and reach. Achieving them requires a lot of work on large and small scales. I see my role as one of support—ensuring that all the details and structures needed to reach our goals are accounted for.

I have the privilege of seeing the big picture and, in doing so, can help ensure the structures and details are in place to get us there. I hope to use my role to address gaps and needs that arise as we work to tackle important issues in the communities we serve.

What has influenced your commitment to supporting social justice?

The desire to understand differences  has been a long-held value in my life. My experiences in higher education helped me better understand the concept of social justice as a means of addressing inequities in our communities and society. Since then, I’ve sought opportunities to better educate myself about the structures and systems that create privilege at the expense of others.

As a member of the LGBTQ community, I’ve seen and experienced marginalization firsthand. While this aspect of my identity has fostered empathy for others, it has also illuminated my own privileges and the responsibility I have to challenge and address inequities.

What drives your passion for Chicagoland and its communities?

Chicago is both a deeply beautiful and flawed city, and seeing its roots along with its potential inspires me. After moving away, I found myself drawn back to the values I see at the city’s core—resilience, hard work, care for others, and kindness.

The people here are incredible, and I love the diversity of voices and perspectives making their way to the forefront as we strive to become an even better place to live and grow.

What role does data play in your efforts?

An analytical person at my core, I love that the RLD Foundation has an embedded focus on using data to inform our goals, priorities, and decisions. I appreciate that developing and utilizing this data will be a collaborative effort with the communities we seek to partner with.

I’m also grateful for the shared understanding that data is only one piece of the puzzle. To truly understand the intractable problems we’re seeking to address, we must honor and uplift the lived experiences of those most impacted. The dual focus on data and humanity is incredibly important.

When you’re “off the clock,” what activities or interests do you enjoy?

I enjoy running (slowly) and training for long-distance races. I  most appreciate spending quiet time at home with my spouse and our   dog. Outside of that, I enjoy word games, reading nonfiction, a good brunch, and catching up with longtime friends near and far.

BACK TO TOP

Can you walk us through your career journey and how it led you to your current role at the RLD Foundation?

I’m coming to RLD from Wellspring Philanthropic Fund, where I worked for over 11 years. Most recently, I was the Manager of Data Strategy and Analytics, a role that encompassed designing monitoring and learning systems that collected and surfaced key information to inform strategic decisions and adaptations, developing analyses and reports to allow us to better understand and reflect on our grantmaking, pioneering new techniques for extracting structured data on accomplishments and learnings from unstructured narrative text, and setting up data infrastructure to support these needs.

Before that, I worked in the Learning and Evaluation department for six years, which planted the seeds for the eventual more data-focused role. This included a greater focus on implementing organizational learning agendas, supporting strategy development, and leading in-house grantee perception surveys. I also initially worked in the IT Department, which allowed me to build up technical and programming skills that I later applied to the data analytics and evaluation roles.

Since 2019, I have also led the DC Chapter of DataKind, a non-profit that provides pro bono data science to mission-driven organizations. We partner with organizations that may not have in-house data staff, helping them identify data and AI opportunities, recruiting and managing teams of pro bono experts to develop data systems, sharing analyses and insights, and building data capacity.

The Director of Data Strategies and Insights role at RLD was a natural next step for me. It merges the big picture systems focus from my time in Learning and Evaluation with the analysis and technical skills I developed in data strategy and IT, as well as the capacity-building focus I’ve honed with DataKind. This is an incredibly exciting opportunity requiring a unique blend of strategic vision and hands-on technical ability, which I am eager to bring to the organization.

What do you see as the most critical responsibilities of a Manager of Data Strategy and Analytics in a nonprofit organization?

The first is fostering a strong culture of ongoing learning and reflection through the use of data. This is a key prerequisite for everything in the role and requires building great relationships and a high level of trust both with program staff internally, and with grantees and others in the ecosystems we work in.

Another critical responsibility is asking good questions and creating processes that encourage everyone to hold up a mirror to their work. “What don’t we know?” should guide the types of data and evidence we need to find and analyze. Putting processes in place that regularly surface these questions is vital to continuous learning. A few principles I like to adhere to when it comes to data:

• We view data as a tool for continuous learning.
• The best data we have is the lived experience of the communities our work is intended to benefit.
• We should not collect data for the sake of collecting data.
• Trust-based philanthropy and data-driven philanthropy are not mutually exclusive.
• Ultimate meaning-making should sit as close to affected communities as possible.
• Data flows should not be one-directional; if we’re collecting data from a community, it’s our responsibility to share back what we’re learning.
• We should not default to bad proxies just because they’re easier to measure.

How do you identify and prioritize key data initiatives that align with the foundation’s goals?

Everything is driven by the goal of creating tangible and durable benefits for the people and communities we serve. Listening is key—data initiatives need to be informed by community perspectives and voices to ensure they’re actually moving us in the right direction.

Internally, data initiatives should result in insights that program staff can use to refine their strategies. While it’s difficult to define specific initiatives before strategies are fully developed, the overarching point is that data initiatives will be responsive to emergent needs, not one-size-fits-all.

What role does stakeholder input play in shaping your data strategy?

The lived experience of the people and communities our work is intended to benefit is the most important data we have. There’s often a perceived tension between being data-driven and listening to or trusting what communities and grantees are telling us. I fundamentally disagree with the notion that the two are mutually exclusive. When we listen rigorously to many perspectives and systematically document what we hear and learn, that’s incredibly rich data to guide our work that should never be treated as second class to anything.

On the flip side, foundations often ask stakeholders and communities for input over and over, which can lead to fatigue, redundancy, and a level of extractiveness. Improving how we document, reuse, and then share back what we’ve learned is also an opportunity to reduce the burden our quest for input can result in while providing value back to those who lent their voice in the first place.

Can you describe how you use data analytics to measure program outcomes and inform decision-making?

My goal when it comes to evaluation is to learn what is working and what isn’t so we can adapt our work and strategies to make them more effective. The way the sector traditionally has gone about counting the people served by a program or making grantees report on standardized impact metrics doesn’t really give us actionable data on what to do next, if it tells us much of anything at all.

We need to work with grantees and think through together whether there could be data that could help them answer any burning questions, better understand the communities they work with, drive program outcomes, or illustrate impact appropriately. If support for grantees to bolster data collection and utilization efforts towards those ends could be helpful, we’ll work to build out that capacity. From the funder perspective, this may not result in apples to apples metrics across a portfolio of grantees that we can easily aggregate up into one large number. But it will result in much higher quality data that’s more relevant to the work our grantees are doing and which has the potential to yield much greater insights.

In addition, in some cases, we may embed additional evaluation capacity into a program or initiative if our ongoing data collection mechanisms aren’t sufficient to answer the questions we have. In other cases, publicly or privately held data may reveal trends over time that our work has contributed to—or point to areas where progress hasn’t been made, suggesting the need for further investment or new approaches.

A foundation like ours has the opportunity and positionality to triangulate between these data sources to build out a more comprehensive picture of our issue areas, ultimately informing strategies and decision-making both for our foundation and in the broader ecosystems that we work in.

What considerations go into choosing the right tools for a nonprofit versus a corporate environment?

The considerations aren’t all that different. We want to put state-of-the-art technology to work in service of our mission, just as the corporate sector does in service of profit. Both sectors share many of the same needs:

• Top-notch data security to safeguard information provided by grantees.
• Great user interfaces that encourage staff to actually use the tools.
• Data portability so we can collect data easily, combine it with data from other systems, and maximize its utility.

One key difference in the nonprofit technology sector is the ethos of sharing solutions –  tools and systems developed by one organization are often open-sourced for others to use. I want RLD to contribute to this practice, moving the sector forward by learning and sharing with others and making anything we develop available to organizations facing similar challenges.

Looking ahead, what emerging trends in data analytics do you think will have the biggest impact on the nonprofit sector?

AI is a major trend, and we’re transitioning from hype and high-level discussions about its potential to concrete use cases where the technology is proving genuinely helpful (while also being mindful of its risks and how to mitigate those).

For example, AI is transforming how we collect and utilize qualitative data. Previously, asking for narrative grant proposals or reports—or even replacing written deliverables with conversations—meant we couldn’t roll up information across proposals or reports without significant manual work. As a result, much of the learning from years of grantmaking remained locked in an ocean of unstructured text.

Now, we can use AI to extract structured information from any source or format. This capability reduces the burden on grantees while allowing us to more effectively utilize the information we’re gathering. It’s a powerful shift that enhances how we learn and make decisions.

What inspires you most about working for the RLD Foundation?

We have a fantastic team and are approaching this work with a commitment to thinking big and systemically—while fully acknowledging that we don’t have all the answers.

I’m impressed by the thoughtful way the organization is developing its strategies and engaging with the communities in which we will be working, dedicated to centering the voice and experience of those most directly affected by the issues we’re hoping to address.

On a personal level, it’s an incredibly exciting opportunity for me that data is seen as a foundational backbone of all parts of the organization’s work. It’s an amazing privilege and also a great responsibility to be in a position to help move us in the direction of that vision.

How do you measure your success as a leader in this role?

Ultimately, success means creating positive change in Chicago through our grantmaking and collaboration with grantees and communities. Leadership in service of that goal will come from many, and from all angles and levels. The sum of this shared leadership can be measured by the strength of our relationships, the depth of our networks, and our collective power to drive change and improve lives.

When you’re “off the clock,” what interests and/or activities do you enjoy?

When it comes to hobbies, I don’t have one I do obsessively, but I dabble in many. I see a lot of live music, and have on and off again relationships with biking, hiking, audiobooks, ultimate frisbee, board games, trivia, and rock climbing. Occasionally, I’ll dive into a data side project, like trying to make art out of mountain elevation data or working to perfect fantasy sports player rating models. Regardless of whatever hobby-phase I’m in at a given time, my wife and two dogs are at the center of everything for me. Recently, we discovered a love for European-style inn-to-inn walks and are on the lookout for ways to recreate these in the US. My aunt Jude has joined us for a few along the England-Wales border and in the Scottish Highlands, and despite being in her 80s is faster than us and beats us to the pub on each stretch – a true inspiration and perhaps the ultimate goal to keep working towards.

BACK TO TOP