What’s your current position? How long have you been in this position? Can you give me a brief overview of what it is you do in your work?

I am currently the Communications Director for State Senator John Blake and have served in this role since the Spring of 2015. I work very closely with the Senator on all public statements and communications and manage all of our websites and social media pages.

What would you say most motivates you to do the work you do? What are you most passionate about?

It is really easy to come to work when you admire the good work that your company or your boss is doing. I think Senator Blake really does a great job for our region and he is a great person to work for and learn from.

Not sure if it was meant to be a work perspective question, but the two things I’m most passionate about are music and football. I love going to concerts, playing guitar and watching the Philadelphia Eagles – as frustrating as that may be most times.

Where did you grow up and did you go to a college/trade school after high school? Where did you go, and what was that like? How did you end up in NEPA?

I grew up in Montdale and graduated from Lakeland High School in 2002. After high school I went to Towson University just outside of Baltimore, MD. I earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Mass Communications with a concentration in Public Relations and a minor in Political Science. I was also a four-year letter winner and played Tight End for the Towson Tigers football team. Towson is a great school and in a great location so I really enjoyed my four years there.

Right after college, I was offered a job as a Communications Specialist for the Senate Democratic Caucus. I was proud to call the State Capitol Building my office for over seven years. My wife and I were lucky enough to find jobs back in NEPA in 2013 so we relocated from Mechanicsburg to Jessup and are now living with our two daughters in Greenfield Township.

Did you have any key mentors or people who deeply influenced who you are? Tell a bit about them and what they did that influenced you.

Family really shaped and influenced who I am. My parents are both really hard workers and that has always been something I admired and respected. Even today, they are at work for hours before I even think of getting out of bed. My dad was also my football coach growing up and throughout high school so he always pushed me to do my best.

How did you learn about Leadership Lackawanna? In what class year and program did you participate? Describe your experience. How did the program affect you post-graduation? What has your involvement with leadership Lackawanna been post-gradutaion?

I had always known about Leadership Lackawanna and my dad was an alum years ago. I also hosted a handful of trivia night fundraisers for Leadership and for different teams raising money for their projects.

I participated in the Core Program in 2018 and it was a really great experience. Our team made various updates and improvements to The Pavilion at Nay Aug Park. It was a lot of fun working with our team and doing something like that. The program was a great networking opportunity and a lot of us from the class became close friends and stay in touch regularly. After graduating from the Core program, I was fortunate enough to be selected to join the Board of Directors and currently chair the Events Committee.