ABOUT ME

I was born in Huntsville,  Alabama where my father was stationed in the Army.  I was very active – Boy Scouts, baseball, and later football.  I grew up in a small town in Central New York named Clark Mills,  and attended Clinton Central School District from Kindergarten to 12th grade.

My earliest memory of Scouting occurred before I could read.  While at a relative's house I can recall leafing through a book with kids doing all kinds of cool things from swimming and hiking to first aid.  I knew then that was something I wanted to do when I had the chance.  I joined Cub Scout Pack 44 in second grade.  When our den leader left us early in the fall of that year,  my father took over as my den leader My fondest Scouting memories of Cub Scouting were  nine boys meeting in my family's tiny living room.  I crossed over into Troop 44 after earning my Arrow of Light.  I joined a great troop that prided itself on camping every month.  In seven years I only missed one campout.  Among my proudest accomplishments was being selected 4 times as Senior Patrol Leader.  With encouragement from my parents, I finished my Eagle project and had my board of review just a couple of weeks prior to graduating high school and joining the Army.

In the spring of  my junior year, I applied to work at Camp Kingsley with two of my fellow troop mates.  That was the beginning of over 25 summers spent either working at or supervising summer camps.  I made many lifelong friends and could not wait to get back to working at camp after my time in the Army was up.  After leaving the Army, I was offered the chance to work as a Trek Guide at Cedarlands Scout Reservation in the Adirondacks.  The next year was my first of 6 years as program director.  During that time, my friends and I helped put together a program and staff that served 150 campers in 1989 to serving over 800 in 1998.

 I graduated from both Mohawk Valley Community College and Utica College of Syracuse University  where I earned a Bachelor’s Degree in history.  

The summer after graduating from Utica College in 1995, I was working  my final summer at Cedarlands when I was ask by the Scout Executive if I had ever considered a career working with the Boy Scouts of America, and the answer was yes.  My first assignment with the Boy Scouts of America was as a District Executive in Utica, serving in rural Madison County.  During my tenure as DE, I served also as the Council’s Camp Director at Cedarlands and served as the Staff Advisor to the Camping Committee.  Later, I was promoted to Senior DE and moved to serve in the greater Utica area where I got to work establishing Scoutreach units in the inner city.  After a stint as field director, my position was eliminated for financial reasons.  Unable to find a position in Scouting reasonably close to my family, I decided to leave the profession.

For 4 years I was the Executive Director of Hope House, a soup kitchen and day shelter in the heart of Utica, NY.  I was able to apply the knowledge and skills learned from my time with the BSA to help move the organization into a financially secure position.

In 2011, I happened to run into the president of the then Revolutionary Trails Council. After a discussion on the current state of the Council, I was asked if I would consider returning to the profession.  My strong belief in the programs of the BSA and the knowledge of the positive effects we have on the lives of young people made returning an easy decision.

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In 2022, I had the opportunity to take on the role of Assistant Scout Executive for Operations with the Laurel Highlands Council located in Pittsburgh PA.

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Outside of Scouting I enjoy the outdoors and coaching youth sports.  I am an avid history buff (or history geek as my kids say) and have an extensive personal library that focuses on American history.

I was the first Scoutmaster of Troop 44 G,  American Legion Post 26, Clark Mills, NY and volunteer coach for the Clinton Central School varsity softball team.  I have served as a Rotarian (Past President), as a coach, board member and player agent for the Clinton Little League.  I also served as Treasurer, and Board Member of the Good News Foundation for 6 years.

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I truly believe that Scouting is volunteer led and professionally guided organization.  I have been blessed to work with so many terrific volunteers throughout my career, and I look forward to doing the same in The Pennsylvania Dutch Council.