What have you accomplished in your professional life/career since your 40 Under 40 selection?
I now serve as director for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Wisconsin, where our mission is to ensure all young people, especially those who need help most, reach their full potential as productive, caring, and responsible citizens. I was humbled to be recognized as the 2019 national professional of the year by Boys & Girls Clubs of America after one year in the job. Working with others, we procured over $5 million for Wisconsin clubs in the state budget, and raised over $1 million in private funds to send over one thousand kids to Washington, D.C. on weeklong learning journeys.
What accomplishments, milestones, or endeavors have you attained in your personal life since your 40 Under 40 selection?
A few years ago, I managed the judicial race for the Honorable Everett Mitchell, which included procuring over 450 endorsements from elected officials and opinion leaders. I found out from a graduate student that I had created one of the first 10 political online campaign websites ever back in 1994.
If you were to “do it all over again,” what (if anything) would you do differently throughout your career?
Nobody succeeds alone. All success comes from working with others. I would have asked for help more.
How did your 40 Under 40 selection help your career?
40 Under 40 comes up as one of the first Google results, so it certainly helped in job interviews and first dates, which are strikingly similar endeavors.
What is something that you have a new passion for since the time of your induction — either professionally or personally?
I helped initiate the Frank Lloyd Wright state trail, including the ubiquitous brown signs we see around Madison. I live in a Usonian home, modeled after Wright’s Unity Farm, with a live-in silo that has a 70-foot spiral staircase.
Based on your experience, do you have any advice for today’s young professionals (under 40)?
Reach out for something a little beyond your grasp and way outside of your comfort zone. Don’t be afraid to fail — it’s where growth happens and experience is accumulated.
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