Q: Tell us a little bit about yourself – where you live, about your family, what you did before DE?
A: I am born and raised in Cincinnati. I met my wife Katie in high school. We were randomly assigned as lab partners in our sophomore Chemistry class. I’ve come to find with God, there is definitely nothing “random”. Katie and I had great “chemistry” from the first beaker that we broke. There’s still debate about who actually knocked it over. Fast forward, we were married in 2000 at St. Ignatius parish and raised our two daughters, Chloe (20) and Lydia (18) on the Westside of Cincinnati. Along with seven pets (four dogs and three cats), we have a full house with plenty of activity. Before DE, I was a practicing CPA and CFO for over twenty years running several school districts and in private practice for a couple public accounting firms and for a privately owned manufacturing company.
Q: How long have you been with DE and what brought you here?
A: I started with DE in January 2020 going on six and a half years. God literally brought me to DE. I truly believe that. After going through the sale of the manufacturing firm to a PE firm and all that was involved, I was ready to do something different with a higher calling. My grandfather used to run a small monthly business newspaper on the Westside of Cincinnati and always liked the idea of doing something like that to carry on his legacy and spread positive and good content in our community. In late 2019, I saw that DE was hiring a publisher for the Westside Catholic Neighbors that covers my parish and my prayers were literally answered.
Q: Who is your favorite saint and why?
A: My patron Saint, St. Anthony of Padua. St. Anthony has always been there for me. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve either literally lost something or have lost my way. My mom taught me the prayer “St. Anthony, St. Anthony, please come around, something is lost and cannot be found”. It’s amazing. I think with his guidance I’m over 90% or more successful at finding all sorts of lost things in our house. I need his help at least once a month.
Q: What do you love most about your life right now?
A: The balance. I don’t think I’ve ever had so much balance in my life between work, family, faith and leisure. I have always been a pretty stressed person by nature. The corporate world and tax seasons and year end audits did not help. DE has afforded me an incredible opportunity to spend more time with family, play golf and travel and make faith first and foremost in the work that I do everyday. It’s pretty awesome!
Q: What hobby/hobbies do you have?
A: I enjoy traveling and spending time with my family. I also love a great movie and playing basketball and golf. I’m a huge sports fan. Especially I love my Cincinnati Bearcats basketball and football. The Bengals and Reds have made it difficult over the years, but I still root for them.
Q: What was your favorite show/cartoon as a kid?
A: My favorite cartoon was He-Man and the Masters of the Universe with Transformers as a close second. I think I had all the toys to go with the show too. They are somewhere in my parents basement still. My favorite TV show was probably the Cosby Show.
Q: What is something most people don’t know about you?
A: I was the prom king in high school. It stil makes me laugh when I thnk back about it. My daughters think I’m such a dork, but I can still remind them that there was a time that I was pretty “cool”.
Q: What is your favorite ice cream topping?
A: Caramel.
Q: What do you love most about DE?
A: I love the mission. I’m on a daily mission every single day for Good Media. We live in a world where we are bombarded by negative and depressing news, and I want to change that narrative. We have a chance to share stories on what really matters most – our faith, family and community. We all share way more in common that what separates us, and I have the chance to tell those stories every day. The fact that I can provide for my family and make good living supporting that mission is a cherry on top.