I’m originally from southern Indiana. I discovered my love of foreign languages at a very early age, studying Russian, German, French, and Spanish in high school (in that order). I would later go on to study Czech and Slovak in the U.S. Air Force and served as a cryptologic linguist in West Germany during the Cold War.
I’ve had a lot of jobs in my life. My first job was delivering newspapers at 5 am, seven days a week. (Those Sunday editions were very heavy.) I’ve also worked as a fast-food cook, office cleaner, soldier, forklift driver, insurance salesman, truck driver, lumber purchaser and sales manager, newspaper agent, journalist, teacher, private tutor, interpreter, translator, editor, writer, technical writer, and IT manager. I am currently the VP of Engineering for a software company.
I’ve seen quite a bit of the world. I’ve traveled to more than 35 countries, and my favorite places to visit are Finland and Iceland. (As you can tell, I prefer the cold over heat.) My favorite place to visit in the U.S. is Oregon and the Pacific Northwest. Oregon is where I went to university, and I absolutely love the state.
My current job is challenging, but I love it. I’m surrounded by great people and interesting technology. I can’t imagine doing anything else.