I am very fortunate to have been experiencing a very interesting and diverse career.  This started with my 20 years as a United States Marine.  My Marine Corps career assignments varied from being primarily a bombardier/navigator in the A-6E Intruder all weather attack jet to an Ada programming language authority, an aircraft maintenance officer, a deputy commander of a Marine Corps base in Japan, and a Master Instructor of Computer Science at the US Naval Academy.  While at the Naval Academy, I took advantage of the opportunity to learn to sail from world-class sailors.  This was a year-long program that included sailing a 44-foot sailboat from Annapolis, MD to Bermuda and back.  Ultimately, as a result, I obtained the status of an Offshore Sailing Skipper certified by the US Navy.  As a side note, because of all my Marine Corps’ training, I am a professional navigator across land, sea, and air.

An essential part of my training in the Marines, as an officer, was to have the ability to lead Marines.  An objective of leading Marines is to motivate them to do what is necessary to accomplish the mission.  You learn from that training and subsequent practical experience that one size does not fit all.  A key point of becoming a leader and a motivator is to “know your troops”.  That translates to understanding the different approaches to motivating the different individuals that you are responsible for leading.  Therein lies part of my appreciation of the objective of Motiv8.

Since retiring from the Marine Corps, I have been in technology leadership positions for over 25 years.  This includes Chief Information Officer at CKE Restaurants (Carl’s Jr and Hardees) for 3 years, 5 years as a program manager at Microsoft, and 19 years as the Chief Information Officer at Fitness International (LA Fitness, Esporta Fitness, City Sports Fitness, and Club Studio).

My latest experience as CIO for Fitness International exposed me again to the challenges and importance of motivating people.  Motivation was important for both the many people who worked for me but also for the millions of customers that invested in a fitness club membership on the belief it would help them be a more fit and healthy person.  I observed that every person has a tipping point in their fitness journey.  Before reaching the tipping point, every person needs help to continue an exercise regimen.  If they do stick with it, they reach a point where they are compelled to exercise and therefore, sustain a healthy lifestyle.  My exposure to this reminds me again of my Marine Corps training in that one size does not fit all, different people are motivated to continue to follow an exercise regimen by different factors.  Motiv8 approaches each person as an individual with the mission of applying the understanding of what motivates a person, so they commit and realize a consistently healthier lifestyle.  It is very satisfying to see people who succeed, especially if I can help them do so.

I enjoy and believe in technology as tools to help people have better experiences.  So, I continue to educate myself in new technologies such as AI.  This also drives my interest in technologies such as Motiv8 which genuinely strives to help people have better lives.  I also enjoy flying Cirrus SR22 single engine propellor airplanes in which I have almost 3,000 hours.  Every flight is an accomplishment.  Additionally, we have two beautiful off-the track retired thoroughbred racehorses, Milyone and Ziconic, who are a great joy.  I also enjoy reading history and biographies.