THE EARLY YEARS

As a young man, my father and I did not have a close relationship. The youngest of four, there was a lot of conflict between us growing up. Despite our differences, I am grateful as these challenges provided me with a clear sense of standing up for what I believe in. Looking back, I reflect often on how a difficult relationship could teach me so much about conflict resolution, and provided me with valuable life tools.     

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Upon graduating high school, I packed up my Jeep, loaded up my dog and left Virginia for Tennessee and eventually, Durango, Colorado where I graduated from Fort Lewis College with a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration. Bartending was how I put myself through college. While bartending, I also had the opportunity to volunteer for Big Brothers/Big Sisters. Through these experiences, I really started to refine my ability to connect with individuals from all walks of life. 

 

GROWTH & LEADERSHIP

As a Wilderness EMT, and as a Swift Water Rescue Technician, I became very adept at the continual navigation of utilizing my conflict resolution skills in medical and wilderness crises. On the hunt for a place I would ultimately call home, I ended up in Salmon, Idaho where I became the first man in Idaho to serve as the Executive Director of a Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Crisis Center.  
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Giving back to a community where I could throw a stone into the “community pond” and see the ripple effect of my actions has always been important to me. Upon immediately starting, I knew I had my work cut out for me but was ready for the challenge. As I experienced blatant sexism in this position, I pushed forward ready to accept the multiple challenges this position held. 
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Five years later, countless programs, lots of new ideas, a full staff that grew 350% during my leadership, and sound fiscal management, the organization was unrecognizable from where it was a handful of years previously. Through consistent conflict resolution skills and leadership in this position I was foundational in setting up the organization to grow and provide stability for years to come. 

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WHERE I AM NOW...

As the challenge for me was met with the DV Agency having brought the organization out of despondency and in really leveraging my conflict resolution skills daily, I started looking for what was next. In a conversation with a state partner, and with my 20+ years of conflict resolution skills in multiple positions, I was encouraged to expand my services as a Certified Professional Mediator. A natural progression, I completed mediation certification training and my journey has come full circle as a certified Conflict Resolution Expert. 

Being in a position to guide individuals towards conflict resolution is incredibly fulfilling. Seeing people at odds with broken friendships, destroyed relationships, financial hardships, and high emotions often end up near or beyond boiling over. My desire to help individuals resolve their issues stems from many years of experience through collaborating with these individuals to help them communicate their needs, effectively giving them a voice to be heard.