As a highly energetic, passionate, innovative, and team-oriented educational administrator, I seek opportunities to positively affect student lives.  I thrive in new situations and environments and am able to analyze situations, identify problems, and devise solutions.  I am also able to learn new operations and processes and use them to their maximum capabilities.  I look for opportunities to use these skill sets to promote the education and well-being of students.

Throughout my life I sought to find what I wanted to do.  When I had an opportunity to teach new hire classes during college, I finally found something I could do for the rest of my life, teach.  I went back to school to finish my undergraduate degree at Texas A&M University, and earn my teaching certification.  As I began teaching I relished the opportunity to help improve student minds and lives.  This passion also extended to the playing fields as I molded young men through extra-curricular sports.  As I continued my career I felt a driving need to try to affect more student lives on a daily basis.  So I went back to school to earn a Masters degree at Sam Houston State University and moved into administration.  I continued to want to learn more about how I could help schools and students, so I began my journey towards a Doctoral degree at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor with an expected graduation date of Fall 2022. I successfully defended my dissertation in the Spring of 2022.

I will continue to pursue new learning and knowledge throughout my career and life.  I completed another undergraduate degree in Sociology from Arizona State University while I worked to complete my dissertation. I want to continue to strive to have the knowledge and expertise to create true learning environments for students and to create lifelong learners.

I would not be where I am today without the unconditional love of my wonderful wife of nineteen years, Cathy, and the understanding and cuddles of my children, Timmy (18 yrs), Lexa (16 yrs), Will (13 yrs), and Hugh (10 yrs).  Both my parents and in-laws have been never-ending streams of support throughout my education and career.  I can never thank my wonderful family enough for their encouragement and love through the years.

My philosophy as an educational leader has been refined during my time in the profession.  However, at its heart, the ideas have not change, only their applications.  I believe in providing students with a safe, encouraging learning environment that stimulates thought and produces life-long learners.  I believe the culture and environment defines not only the school, but also a student’s ability to reach their full potential.

I believe in a "total education" for students in our educational institutions.  Students need to leave our campuses with not only information, but also knowing how to think for themselves.  Students need to leave school with the skills and abilities to think critically.  I believe in providing students with the skills to achieve their dreams and overcome obstacles they may face.  Students remembering a list of dates or names will not always help them succeed in life, and now that data is theirs at the tap of a key, knowing what information or why they need it is critical.  Students need to be armed with critical thinking approaches, as well as a bevy of analytical and logical skills.  This can only occur if students are active participants in their own education.

Students also need to be taught to deal with a plethora of social challenges as well as habits and manners to navigate through life.  Students need to receive positive reinforcement when following expected norms and procedures, and constructive criticism when redirection is needed.  Students desire to feel like they belong, and this can be accomplished if students are allowed to participate in the creation and perpetuation of a school’s culture.  It is important to communicate with students, as well as faculty and staff, and be able to address concerns and support student and faculty leadership on the campus.

There is a desperate need in classrooms to make students feel safe, this must be accounted for before any real learning can take place.  Students must feel safe so they will attempt to answer questions and receive positive reinforcement so they will continue to want to answer questions.  Education is a social process more than any other type of process.  It is important to inform students of responsibilities and expectations so they are comfortable and not surprised.  This allows students to feel confident in their abilities and excel in their assignments.  Students require a rigorous curriculum that they feel is relevant if they are to be willing participants in the learning environment.

These core beliefs are the driving force behind setting campus goals and focus.  Creating a safe, creative, nurturing environment should guide decisions about how a campus is organized, staffing decisions, how time is spent during the school day, and how stakeholders interact.  Students have become disenchanted with the idea of school, mostly because schools have less to do with the students and more to do with the curriculum.  Schools must focus on the students and meeting them where they are instead of where we want them.  Only by refocusing our efforts can we begin to create lifelong learners who leave our schools with a total education.