My parents emigrated from London, England. We settled in a modest neighborhood in Boston. My father took a job as a waiter and my mother as a secretary for a small company. Eventually, my dad worked his way up to being a banquet manager and my mom became an assistant dean at Northeastern University. Had it not been for the sacrifices of my parents, I would never have had the incredible opportunities I have been given.

We lived near Cambridge, Massachusetts, and I spent as much time there as I could, while I was growing up. I distinctly remember how much I loved the vitality of Harvard Square and the feeling of intellectual and artistic dynamism. After serving four years in the U.S. Navy as an enlisted man during the Vietnam era, I attended Harvard College (on a scholarship) and, subsequently, Harvard Business School. Prior to moving to Chapel Hill, I was an investment banker working with companies to build consensus in the face of competing objectives. I launched the startup of Goldman Sachs’ Asia Pacific Mergers Advisory business, which I managed from Tokyo, Japan.

I am blessed to have been married to my wife Jill for the last twenty-two years and to have two wonderful sons, thirteen and seventeen. We moved to Chapel Hill eleven years ago for one reason and that was the quality of life. Neither job, nor family, nor friends lured us here. We happened upon Chapel Hill and immediately fell in love with it. Like so many other people, we were captivated and have chosen to make our lives here.

During these years in Chapel Hill, I have been involved with a number of entrepreneurial companies. I have served as the Chief Financial Officer of Pozen, a public biotech company based in Chapel Hill, and in similar positions with Aldagen, a biotech company working in regenerative medicine, and with Megawatt Solar, a renewable energy company founded by several UNC scientists. I was also part of a team called in to restructure AAI Pharma, headquartered in Wilmington, NC.

In 2007, I was elected to the Chapel Hill Town Council.