Growing up, persuading people came naturally to me — scouting, sports, the neighborhood. I had a gift without understanding its weight, or the responsibility that came with it. That desire for purpose and structure led me into the Marine Corps at eighteen, where I served as a KC-130J aircrewman and rose quickly through the enlisted ranks. The pace of training, deployments, and tasking left little room for reflection – I was learning to lead by imitation, something that looked real from the outside but was left unexamined.
Firefighting brought me back to something more grounded. Eleven years across engine, ladder, and rescue companies with the Fayetteville Fire Department, alongside a parallel decade with the Wedington Volunteer Fire Department, where I've held every rank from Firefighter to my current role as Assistant Chief of Operations. Somewhere in the middle of it, I went back to school — not to collect a credential, but because I kept running into the same question in both uniforms: what does leadership actually require, underneath the competence?
The path
U.S. Marine Corps
Sergeant (E-5), KC-130J Aircrewman. Close-air support, tactical transport, and aerial refueling — tactical clarity from altitude, and the distance that comes with it.
Fayetteville Fire Department
Firefighter across Engine Co. 1, Ladder Co. 7, and Rescue Co. 1. Promoted to Driver/Operator, Engine Co. 1B, June 2026. Co-chair, Probationary Firefighter Development Committee.
Wedington Volunteer Fire Department
Held every rank across a 10-year span — Firefighter, Training Captain, Interim Chief — now Assistant Chief of Operations.
Fayetteville Firefighters Foundation
Executive Board Member, nonprofit supporting department personnel and community initiatives.
M.A. Organizational Leadership, Gonzaga University
Coursework in leadership theory, community, negotiation, and hardiness — including immersion experiences at Mt. Adams, WA and St. Andrew's Abbey, Valyermo, CA, culminating in this capstone.