As a retired Associate Director at Texas A&M’s Memorial Student Center, I have seventeen years of experience in advising students and providing leadership to a busy department within one of the largest institutions of higher education in the U.S. My professional career started in the banking industry where I gained considerable experience in lending, collections, branch management and loan audit. My career took me from locales as small as Vernon, Texas to the populous metropolis of Dallas / Fort Worth. After over twenty years working in the financial sector, I became a victim of consolidation and downsizing. I found myself in need of a change and for several reasons, I wanted to step away from banking. Having spent my formative years around home building, and leaning in on my self-taught skills in construction, I opened my own company focused on residential remodeling and repair. After six years of building this business, I concluded that my family’s long-term security was limited and I needed the safety net of a pension. (Given my brother’s success as an entrepreneur, I have some unique insights into what is required for entrepreneurial success.) In a quest for building security for the future, I sought out a position with one of the largest employers in Texas, Texas A&M University. I have navigated through four major career changes since my graduation in the '80s with an MBA and a degree in Finance and I have lived through several major life changes both positive and negative. Now, I am looking toward my next major career phase. While I have coached people of all ages, I have a passion for helping people prepare for career changes and retirement. I also have a passion for helping build and strengthen teams based upon their collective understanding of the value of diversity within the individual team members. On a personal level, I am a husband, father, and grandfather. I am a devoted Christian and love to serve in my faith. I also love to relax at home, write, and read, but it is hard to beat traveling around our country with my beautiful wife, partner and friend Shannon and of course with our dachshund/terrier and “supermut” Max. I consider myself both a student of life and a teacher, coach and mentor and I hope to retain both roles until my life on earth ends. I would love to connect with you and discuss how I can help you or your team discover your Strengths and engage them to maximize your own life and career.