President and CEO
Goodwill of Southern Nevada
Type of Business: Non-profit retail store with career services for job seekers
Based In: Southern Nevada
Hails From: Charlotte, NC
Years Co. has been in Nevada: 46
Years with Company in Nevada: 02
Employees with Company: 785
What do you want your legacy to be?
I’d like my legacy to be one of service…to my nation, my community and to my family. [I would like to know] that I left things better than I found them and that I was fair.
What was your first job?
[I was a] salesclerk at Toys R Us.
Who in your life has been instrumental to your success?
There have been many, but first among them were my parents. They established early on that excellence was the standard and the only true limitations were the ones I set for myself. Their support and belief in me were such that I didn’t question the high expectations, nor take the counsel of naysayers. The only question became whether I was willing to put in the work to attain the goal(s).
What was the toughest lesson you’ve learned in your career?
The decision you regret the most is often the one you didn’t make. (A variation of “failure to make a decision, is a decision”.)
What is the best moment of your career?
There have been a lot, but I think the day of my commissioning as an Air Force officer was the best day. Not only was that the start of what was a fulfilling and successful career, but I was surrounded by my father and three of his brothers, all career enlisted men with over 70 years of combined military service, who participated in my commissioning ceremony.
What career advice would you give to your teenage self?
Don’t just focus on your strengths; find those things that make you uncomfortable and build skills so that they are less uncomfortable. The discomfort comes from unfamiliarity and/or fear.
What three words would you want your worst enemy to use when describing you?
Honorable, Tenacious, Fair
What is your motto?
“You aren’t defeated until you quit.”
What is your favorite thing about living in Nevada?
I love the fact that within no more than a couple hours’ drive, you can do so many different things.
