President, Sierra Nevada University
Type of Business: Education
Based in: Incline Village
Hails From: San Francisco, CA
Years Co. has been in Nevada: 50
Years with Company in Nevada: >1
Employees with Company: 150
What was your first job?
I’ve been blessed to have worked every day since age 16, when I was a busboy in my godfather’s restaurant. I was one of the few he didn’t fire.
What was the toughest lesson you’ve learned in your career?
“Man plans, and God laughs.”
Who in your life has been instrumental to your success?
Without question, my wife Veronica, an internationally renown therapist, and with whom I have never won an argument.
What do you want your legacy to be?
That I lived life in crescendo and I’ve impacted young lives while enriching my own in the process.
What is an issue currently facing your industry an outside observer might not be aware of?
In some ways, academia is the last bastion of the Soviet system. Universities must pivot or die. At Sierra Nevada University we embrace disruption.
What career advice would you give to your teenage self?
Be agile minded because things rarely work out the way you expect. Don’t be afraid to be vulnerable. Always strive to be empathetic.
If you had to live in another country for a year, which would you choose and why?
Having studied at Cambridge University, I would return there. I often refer to it as the Magic Kingdom of academia, not only for its intellectual prowess but for architecture and culture.
What would be the title of your autobiography?
“On the Road to the Red Hood: The Art of Retrenchment, Follies of a Lifelong Learner”
What three words would you want your worst enemy to use when describing you?
Relentless, driven, and persistent. [A quote I love is,] “Throw me to the wolves, and I’ll come back leading the pack.”
What is your favorite thing about living in Nevada?
Staying on alert for my first Tahoe bear.
What is your motto?
Be curious, be kind and have fun.