After high school I proudly served in the United States Marine Corps. I loved every moment of serving my country, but something told me that it wasn’t the life for me. After leaving the Corps I wasn’t sure what path I wanted to follow, so I  took the first job available as a dishwasher at restaurant chain.

It doesn’t sound like a glamorous job, and it wasn’t, but it was a big turning point for me. I started to apply my insatiable curiosity and tinkering skills to processes rather than machines. In less than a year and a half,  I had learned and operated every position and machine in the restaurant, moving through the ranks to assistant manager. I was addicted to understanding a situation, experimenting with it to find the best possible solution, and to making it as efficient as possible.

Later, I decided to move on to other business sectors out of genuine curiosity. Working in different sectors allowed me to apply practices from one sector to another. Believe it or not, I even took a stab at creating my first event planning business.

While I didn’t go to college until I was twenty-six years old, I like to say that during my pre-college years I was taking my education into my own hands. One of my closest friends convinced me to go to college to study Engineering even though I wasn’t entirely sure what an engineer was. I was accepted at Penn State University. I had no idea how much I would love Engineering.

While at Penn State, I was awarded an internship that would eventually become a job as an additive manufacturing engineer. For those not familiar with that term –that’s a 3D printing engineer. I became mesmerized by the technology –so much so that it became my specialty area.

During my internship, I got the opportunity to work with some of the top companies and research organizations in the world.  I worked for an amazing company that provided me with the opportunity to give back to our community. I opted to visit schools and talk to students and teachers about my work.  This would become a major turning point in my life.

It was during this time that I found my true passions are Science, Engineering, Business, Education, and creating opportunities for others to pursue their passion.

It wasn’t long after that discovery that I co-founded one of the most cutting-edge non-profit organizations in the country, created a globally recognized after school program and pedagogy, and enabled many others to pursue their passions.

I’ve learned first-hand that when passion is static it dwindles away.  But when passion is mixed with grit and action, you can change the world– or at least the world around you. And if enough of us are committed to changing the world around us, together we can create tomorrow.

My background includes over 10 years as a commercial loan analyst, underwriter & small business lender with FNB Corporation, a $30 billion regional bank.  My economic development experience includes serving as Assistant Director of Huntingdon County Business & Industry, where I managed accounting and oversaw the various business lending programs for the agency.

Growing up in Meadville, PA, I attended Allegheny College, where I received a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics and a minor in Computer Science.  I moved to Blair County in 1992 and have made the area my second hometown.

I believe that how we live is as important as where we live.  It is my commitment to ensure that Blair County, our First Frontier, is a vibrant community, open to new ideas and opportunities.  My goal is to help entrepreneurs, so they can play their part in growing a community where we all prosper, and to create an environment where people want to live.  Our locally-born businesses employ more than 9,000 local-residents and contribute more than $100 million in economic impact each year.  The real key to economic development is through the support of local entrepreneurs and small businesses.

In my spare time, I enjoy rugby, good craft beer and hiking with my dog.

At a young age, I got my first job delivering newspapers. In high school, I had a supervisory role working for a major retail company. Throughout my college years, I gained experience in a number of jobs from washing dishes, cooking, working construction, and education. Working in various industries allowed for me to find my skills set, which is working with people. Since completing my B.A. in Business Management/ Economics, I’ve worked in the public relations, financial analysis, risk management, and health care sectors, and served as the District Director for a United States Member of Congress.

Midway through my career, I decided to return to school and pursue an MBA in Strategic Leadership. After completing my degree and graduating with honors, I’ve spent my time sharing my knowledge by volunteering in community service initiatives, working with Department of Defense contractors, financial institutions, school districts, law enforcement, non-profits, small and Fortune 500 companies all while mentoring our youth toward a sustainable and virtuous path. I am a firm believer that investing in our community and our children is a great Return on Investment (ROI). The ROI for developing and changing the lives of others in an impactful way is a future generation that is self- sufficient, makes smart decisions, and builds collaborative relationships. This creates a path toward a diverse, healthy and booming economy.

Serving a diverse population to help reach and exceed their business goals is another goal of mine. If you have a start-up company, facing adverse market conditions, financial distress, or looking to expand your existing business, please feel free to reach out to me so we can explore, develop and implement a purposeful/strategic framework that makes financial sense for a prosperous future.

.  A few years ago, I was taking a stab at being a stay at home mom after going through a layoff from a technology company.  It was during that hiatus from my career, that I decided it was time to take a leap of faith and go in a different direction.  I took a position with Huntingdon County Business & Industry (HCBI) as their Operations Manager, assisting people with their business startups.  I quickly found that I wanted to see great things happen to our community and an even stronger desire to be a part of that success.  Today that goal is my reality as I’m now the Director of Business Development at HCBI and the Startup Alleghenies Entrepreneur and Innovation Coach for Huntingdon and Fulton Counties.

I’m very passionate about Huntingdon County.  It’s my home, my family, friends and career were all a result of moving here 15 years ago.  I’ve found that there is so much value in living and working in a small rural town.  “Everybody knows your name”- some of your greatest resources are actually your neighbors.  Need financing for your business, clueless about website design, looking for a building or land, have a product idea and need help with development, not sure if there’s a market for your idea?  There are people right here in our Southern Alleghenies region who can assist you with these and so much more!

I always say it takes an army to raise a family, and I believe our communities need that same leadership, support and team work to create a thriving environment for the future of our children.  I look forward to being a member of your army, helping your ideas grow and develop so you can achieve your goals while building an ecosystem where our next generation of entrepreneurs will flourish right here, right now!

I’ve worked in many different industries, for big companies, small companies, for-profit, non-profit, and startups.  I’ve traveled all over the world and met amazing people.  I even worked on a cruise ship in Alaska!  I am curious, ambitious, a bit disruptive, and hopefully—considered a servant leader.  I am addicted to TED Talks and absolutely love to golf, except for the whole putting thing.

For fifteen years, I’ve been making mistakes and trying my best to learn from each and everyone—thankfully, I’ve learned a lot.  I’ve learned that your community—whatever you consider to be your “home”—is much more important than most people realize.  I’ve learned that the basic characteristics that built our great country are even more valuable today, and separate good managers from great leaders.  But—of all the things I’ve learned—the most important, is what it takes to be a good parent.  Being a good parent is without a doubt, the most difficult job I’ve ever held, and also the most rewarding.  I’ve actually considered adding it to my resume!

Our community and the future communities we’re building depend on a lot of things.  I believe that our youth and our ability to encourage and inspire them should be at the top of the list.  As the Entrepreneur & Innovation Coach for Somerset County, it’s my responsibility to assist in the creation of an environment where our children’s ideas and dreams turn into fun projects, and these projects develop innovative solutions to the world’s biggest problems.  Throughout my life, I’ve often reminded myself that some of our most influential and impactful leaders have come from the most unlikely places—today, I never assume I know who or where they are; but rather, that they’re everywhere, surrounding me at all times…because they are.

I am so excited with what the next few years will bring and I hope to sit down with you and talk about ideas and ambitions very soon.