Experience

Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation

• United States
• Museums, Historical Sites, and Zoos
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Executive Director

  • Sep 2020 - Present

  I am honored to serve as the executive director of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation. It is one of just 15 foundations established to support presidential libraries and museums in the National Archives. At the Ford we have a strong, timely, and timeless mission. It starts with the life of the President. In a career that spanned more than three decades, President Ford had not one scandal that marred his good name. He dedicated his life to public service and governed with integrity. His instincts were always to appeal to the better angels of our nature, work across the aisle in a bipartisan spirit, and help fellow Americans form a more perfect union. His wife, Betty Ford, was a remarkably courageous First Lady. Together they lived a good life devoted to America's common good. We need the example of President and Mrs. Ford to inspire young people today. This remarkable First Couple is never out of season. To learn more about our dynamic foundation, please visit geraldrfordfoundation.org. To discover more about our engaging programs for school-age kids and their teachers, visit devoslearningcenter.org. To find out more about the exciting initiatives to expand the possibilities of leadership and citizenship, visit fordforum.org. In everything we do, we honor President and Mrs. Ford and hope to inspire excellence in the American character. Come see us in Grand Rapids, Michigan! Show less



Hauenstein Center for Presidential Studies

• Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States

• Director

  • Jul 2003 - Aug 2020

  From 2003-2020, I was privileged to be the first full-time director of an organization that would be at the confluence of three major streams of American thought. First, we established a presidential studies center, and it seems that everyone is talking about the presidency these days. Second, we initiated cohosting, with Dr. Jon Lauck, an annual conference on the Midwest, and the Midwest is, in the wake of Election 2016 and Election 2020, the most talked about region in the U.S. Third, we began training the rising generation of leaders in our Common Ground Initiative, one of the bellwether programs of our Peter C. Cook Leadership Academy. Everything we did, every program I initiated, was inspired by the legacy of leadership and service we saw in Col. Ralph Hauenstein. It was a privilege to work for him. Show less



Michigan Governor John Engler

• Lansing, Michigan, United States

• Senior Writer, Chief Speech Writer, Historian

  • Jan 1992 - Jan 2003

  I was privileged to serve on the team brought together by the best governor in the U.S. in the 1990s, John Engler. Never was there a better man to work for. To see our administration's impressive array of accomplishments, read the book, John Engler: The Man, the Leader, the Legacy (2002). I was privileged to serve on the team brought together by the best governor in the U.S. in the 1990s, John Engler. Never was there a better man to work for. To see our administration's impressive array of accomplishments, read the book, John Engler: The Man, the Leader, the Legacy (2002).



University of Michigan - Rackham Graduate School

• United States
• Higher Education
• 200 - 300 Employee

• Graduate Research And Teaching Assistant

  • Sep 1988 - Dec 1991

  When a graduate student at Michigan, I taught breakout sections of the Western civilization survey course and graded student papers in Stephen Tonsor's upper division classes in Modern European Intellectual History. When a graduate student at Michigan, I taught breakout sections of the Western civilization survey course and graded student papers in Stephen Tonsor's upper division classes in Modern European Intellectual History.



University of Michigan - Stephen M. Ross School of Business

• United States
• Higher Education
• 700 & Above Employee

• Graduate Research Assistant

  • Oct 1987 - Dec 1991

  Drawing on my graduate training at Michigan in European and U.S. intellectual history, I assisted Prof. LaRue Tone Hosmer, researching and writing the first draft of his book, Moral Leadership in Business, published in 1993. Drawing on my graduate training at Michigan in European and U.S. intellectual history, I assisted Prof. LaRue Tone Hosmer, researching and writing the first draft of his book, Moral Leadership in Business, published in 1993.



Self Employed

• United States
• 700 & Above Employee

• Published Author and Photographer

  • Jan 1980 - Aug 1987

  I had a book published, Colorado Front Range, and wrote for a variety of publications including the Christian Science Monitor. I had a book published, Colorado Front Range, and wrote for a variety of publications including the Christian Science Monitor.