I was born in Illinois. My family and I moved around for a couple of years, but eventually settled a bit north of Philadelphia in Newtown, PA. It’s an incredibly historic and beautiful area. Going to see the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall were memorable annual school field trips. Having grown up there is also where for better or for worse, I became a Philly sports fan.

After K-12, I went off to Cornell University and got my Bachelor’s and Master’s in Engineering Physics, where most of my work was in Device Physics and Microfabrication.

At Cornell, I was on crew for all four years of my undergrad and earned my varsity letter. Doing a highly competitive sport like rowing shaped me just as much, if not more than what I learned in the classroom. It kept me to a tight schedule and instilled a discipline and competitiveness in me that still keeps me going today.

After Cornell, I moved to Portland, OR where I worked for 11 years. In 2011 was when I decided that home was back on the east coast / northeast. Although it was good work experience out west, it was never going to be home.

Presently I live in the beautiful Hudson Valley. I'd describe it as similar to Newtown, PA and the area where I grew up. I don’t think I want to ever live anywhere other than between DC and Boston; ideally, either Philadelphia or New York City.