Hometown: Yukon, Oklahoma
Present City: Dallas
Education: Undergraduate in music with minors in biology, chemistry, psychology and physics; master’s in music pedagogy and performance; master’s in business administration
Profession: Senior director of strategic accounts, Yardi Systems
Tell us about your family.
My wife, Dawn, and I have been married for 26 years and have one daughter, Elle, who is 16. Dawn and I met in college, where we were in the same choir and toured together well before we started dating. I’m fortunate to have both Dawn and Elle in my life as they continue to make me a better person. We also have a 6-year-old Labrador, Walter, who helps balance out the house.
How about your work or volunteer life?
Yardi, an accounting and ERP software company, values giving back to the communities that surround their offices. For 15 years I have been the nonprofit lead for our Dallas office, which has allowed me to create relationships with many great nonprofit organizations in the area and I’m fortunate to have personal connections to many of them (Dallas Casa, Minnie’s Food Pantry and Texas Conservation Alliance to name a few). My work hobby for years has been to find new ways to engage our teams to do time-based volunteering to supplement our corporate financial sponsorship for these organizations and help educate our employee base on the various efforts and causes of our nonprofit partners.
Any favorite hobbies?
Spending time with Walter, our 6-year-old Labrador, road biking and playing piano. Being home during the pandemic reintroduced me to my love of cooking.
What brought you to Wilshire and when?
We came in 2009 shortly after the birth of Elle. We wanted to have a church home for Elle, and Wilshire checked all the boxes. Joan Hammons is the individual who encouraged us to trust the preschool wing during service, which was our first step to membership.
Where are you engaged at Wilshire?
I participated in the recent Songwriter Vespers and enjoyed using my musical talents with that group. For several years, I helped with Young Musicians and Kindergarten Sunday School and sang in Sanctuary Choir. In the past 5 to 7 years I’ve been unable to be as active with choir and music due to work travel. I try to engage in the music ministry when I am able and do miss it.
What is something interesting most people would not know about you?
One of my jobs during college was cantor at the Oklahoma City Catholic Pastoral Center, which had a Tridentine Service (all-Latin mass) each Sunday. This is where I learned more about the liturgical calendar and got to regularly sing music written in neumes, the precursor to notes on a musical staff.