I was born and raised in Sarasota, Florida. Sarasota had a little bit of everything, little bit country, little bit city, and little bit beach town. I grew up in a blended family and have seven siblings to claim, all younger than I am.

I joined the United States Army straight out of high school as an all source analyst. I held numerous positions at multiple echelons during my active duty career that culminated in an assignment back home in Tampa, Florida. All in all, I have served on Active Duty for over 10 years and deployed to three different countries.

I left full-time military service to pursue my education, greater opportunities, and to build a family with some geographic stability. I retired from the Army after 20 years of service as a Master Sergeant. While completing a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management, I met and married Debra while attending the University of Phoenix here in Tampa. We graduated together and started our family. We now have three children, Caden (16), Cassidy (7), and Chase (2). I earned a Master’s degree in social media marketing from the University of Florida’s College of Journalism and Communication and am now pursuing a Graduate Certificate in Sports Journalism. Go Gators!