My Story

I was born in Baltimore, Maryland where I lived with my family until I was ten years old.  We moved to Southern California, which has been my home for three decades. The youngest of three boys, I’ve always been outgoing and enthusiastic – mostly just to be heard in our house!  I was a competitive swimmer through high school, and many of those early live lessons about failure and perseverance came to me in the swimming pool.

I attended Loyola Marymount University and graduated with a degree in Business Administration, with a marketing emphasis.  After four years of internships in marketing and entertainment, I started my career at Paramount Pictures. Soon I realized that I was more interested in volunteering and community engagement projects organized by the studio than I was in becoming a titan of the industry.  That’s when I moved into the non-profit sector with my first job at the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center (today it is known as the Los Angeles LGBT Center). After more than two years managing corporate and foundation relations, I joined our previous Executive Director at Inner City Law Center as Development Director.  Inner City Law Center provides legal services for the homeless and near-homeless in Los Angeles. The agency practically developed the field of “habitability law,” stopping many of L.A.’s worst slumlords.

While working on Skid Row at Inner City Law Center, I started SCUBA diving on the weekends and became an instructor.  Balancing two careers, I became the most active part-time SCUBA Instructor in Los Angeles. I certified more than 400 new divers in three years, exposing them to the wonderful underwater world of the islands off the California coast.  Spending so much time on Los Angeles’ westside, I found a new opportunity with TEEN LINE located at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

As the Development Director for TEEN LINE, I created and implemented a fundraising strategy for a small, non-profit organization focused on individuals, special events, and private foundations.  I motivated and managed fundraising activities by the Board of Directors and key volunteers. I was responsible for identifying new fundraising opportunities to diversify funding sources and promote stability in revenue. As Development Director, I solicited individual annual contributions from $500 to $25,000 and coordinated direct mail campaigns raising more than $400,000 with an average gift of $400.

I was recruited into a new role with a similar albeit larger organization, The Trevor Project.  The Trevor Project is the national provider of life saving resources to LGBTQ youth and their families. Trevor advocates acceptance and helps prevent teen suicide by promoting mental health and positive self-esteem through a premiere on line destination, nationwide 24/7 call centers, and empowering social activities.  As the Major Gifts Officer and then Senior Major Gifts Officer, I managed our Circle of Hope and stewarded donors making an annual commitment of $500 or more. Our donors provided critical resources for the Trevor Project and allowed the organization to respond with innovative solutions for LGBTQ youth, their allies, and policy makers.  I successfully stewarded relationships with hundreds of donors as we increased the program revenue by 100% and sustained these contributions for more than 3 years. I developed strategies to expand program growth and implemented them with our Development staff. I mentored colleagues to achieve their goals and create strategies to succeed.

In my role as the Senior Major Gifts Officer, I managed a team including Major Gifts Officer (East Coast), Grant Writer, and the Database Coordinator providing leadership and strategy for a team of frontline fundraisers. I participated in The Trevor Project’s management team, including consulting on special projects. In the absence of the Development Director (a vacancy of six months), I was the primary liaison between senior staff and the Development Department, including drafting policies and procedures and managing team priorities. As Senior Major Gifts Offices, I successfully worked with the Board of Directors, Development Committee, and high-level volunteers to plan, implement and manage a comprehensive national program to identify, cultivate, solicit, steward and renew/upgrade major donors. This included developing the revenue and expense budgets, in close cooperation with the Executive Director and development staff.

In 2015, I was named Executive Director of the Boys & Girls Club of Pasadena.  I guided the Boys & Girls Club and oversaw both branches, the Performing Arts Center, all while directing the Club’s fundraising programs.  During my three years with the Boys & Girls Club we grew in every performance metric: membership, attendance, and revenue.

In my return to fundraising, I am proud of having earned and maintain the Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) credential and being a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP).  I’ve served on the Board of Directors for the AFP-Greater San Fernando Valley Chapter and the Los Angeles County Alliance for Boys & Girls Clubs. I’m a member of the Rotary Club of Pasadena and the Pasadena Tournament of Roses® Association.  I am still a dedicated volunteer and community activist; I was even the Democratic Party nominee for California’s 38th Assembly District in 2004.  I am a certified SCUBA Master Instructor and an avid outdoorsman.  But mostly I spend my nights and weekends being bossed around by my German shepherd, Deuce.