January 5, 2020

Board of Regents

Born: Cascade, Iowa

College and major: Northwestern University on a music scholarship (saxophone), majored in economics.

Position: Senior Director in Investment Banking at William Blair & Company

“I advise CEOs, entrepreneurs, and people who own companies when they go through the process of selling their business. When they ultimately decide to sell, they hire somebody like our firm in order to advise them as they go through the process – contacting buyers, negotiating, etc. Our clients as well as the potential buyers could be located anywhere in the world, so there can be quite a bit of travel.”

Most influential person growing up:

“My mother – we had a single-parent household. She had to do all of the childcare, and all of a sudden she had to go out and earn a living in an area she had no training or knowledge – and she went out and did that. She always taught us that the one thing no one can ever take away from you is your education, and she managed, despite a bad situation, to put all three of us through college one way or another, which was amazing. Her example is probably the biggest impact that I’ve had in my life.”

Finding Mercy Home:

“My wife had a tour at Mercy and she came back and said, ‘this place is amazing – the work they’re doing.’ I looked it up online, and at the time the Chairman was Joe Nolan, who I’ve known since the mid 90s, and I called him up and I came over there and got a tour. What I love about Mercy Home is you’re making a change for someone that helps them and impacts them forever – and that’s what got me. The kids are oftentimes coming in from pretty rough circumstances, and to be able to help them in a way that isn’t just six months of help, but a lifetime of help – that’s what roped me in.”

Favorite part about Mercy Home’s mission:

“Just that it’s kids that are in a bad spot and they’re oftentimes in a much worse spot than I ever was, but I identify with that – that speaks to me. It makes me want to do what I can to help, especially because they’re kids.”

Proudest accomplishment:

“We’ve got four kids that are just fantastic kids and have really made us quite proud — all four of them. That’s the thing I’m proud about.”

Mercy Home legacy:

“Hopefully it will be making a concrete difference in the lives of the children who need it, who because of Mercy Home can go out into the world and have a better life. So even if you can make a small difference in the lives of these kids, that has the potential to really make a sizable difference in the overall city, and in the world.”