VP of Operations

Over the past two years I have worked with other leaders of the club to fulfill our mission, respond to external challenges, and establish a solid foundation for the future. I believe we need to continue to fulfill the traditional responsibilities of the club while positioning the organization strategically in a rapidly changing world, and my contributions reflect that. Much of that work is not finished. Operations is a long-cycle responsibility: trail and cabin projects, land stewardship, and the volunteer structures that carry them out are built over years, not over a single term. I would like to see the current effort through rather than hand it off midway.

I also value the working relationship I have built with the President, the rest of the Executive Committee, our staff, and the district, committee, and chapter leaders who do this work week after week. That trust takes time to establish, and it is what makes it possible to raise hard questions early and resolve them before they become problems.

Relevant Experience

I have served as PATC's VP of Operations for the past two years, working with the Executive Committee and Council on trails, cabins, and lands — the core of what the club does on the ground. In that role I have helped set organizational direction, worked to ensure we have the financial and staff resources to carry it out, reviewed our financial results, and brought major decisions to Council for approval. Before that, as Chair of the IT Steering Committee, I led the replacement of our legacy member management system, the launch of a new website, and the implementation of new volunteer work reporting applications, and I co-led the business process reengineering initiative. That work gave me an understanding of how the club actually operates across districts, committees, and staff, which has served me well in this position.

My professional background is in technology leadership: Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer at Ellucian, and previously Chief Information Officer at Red Hat. I hold bachelor's and master's degrees in computer science from Purdue University and an MBA from Northwestern. My wife and I are life members of PATC, and I hike the club's trails regularly, particularly in Shenandoah National Park.