I've dedicated my life to the fundamental belief that each person matters. Again and again, I see evidence that the most important step to creating the world we imagine is to help every person believe in themselves. I've always had a holistic view of life, and that's taken me down a variety of different paths – working, waiting, wandering, and wondering about how, collectively, we can improve each other and the world. I'm grateful that my work at Plenty blends a variety of different disciplines, from business strategy to analysis to art to leadership.
In my early career, I worked in leadership development, creating and facilitating curriculum on values-centered leadership for college students. When friends offered me the opportunity to move to Utah to be a part of the first internet boom, I jumped at the chance and became one of the early members of Campus Pipeline. It was a jump into the deep end of the start-up culture and the place where I met my co-leader Jennifer Mulholland.
Fate intervened in the form of a cancer diagnosis that took my mother's life in 1999. I could hear the world calling me to step more directly into social impact. I left Campus Pipeline and became the VP of Productions for the fundraising firm Pallotta Teamworks, responsible for the planning and production of all the company's events.
The experience at Pallotta Teamworks, in turn, turn led me to co-found my own firm, Event 360. For 11 years, I served as CEO of the 200-person firm. We raised nearly a billion dollars for charity through creating and producing large-scale fundraising events. During that time, I came to understand that revenue problems are really strategy problems, and strategy problems are really people problems. As such, revenue strategies can only go so far. Ultimately, that realization compelled me to step further into creating impact, and Plenty was born. I founded Plenty in November 2013.
I graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Rochester and have an MBA from Kellogg School of Management. I also earned a second master's degree in Predictive Analytics from Northwestern.
I live with my wife and four children in the woods of Niles, Michigan. It's a heavenly spot; come visit and see. I'm most fulfilled when I stimulate my heart and mind in a variety of ways, so I passionately pursue a variety of interests, from songwriting to weightlifting to wine. Right now, thanks to my youngest son, I'm trying my hand at golf – frustrating but compelling!
I'd love to talk with you more about what you're looking for and how we can help. Feel free to schedule a meeting with me here.
