about me

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FAMILY

I am the father to two great kids who attend Hamilton South Eastern Schools. My son attends HSE High School and daughter goes to Cumberland Road Elementary. I also have two more wonderful boys added to the mix by my partner in life Emily Slavens. She is a wonderful person in her own life, working as an elementary teacher in the IPS school system and finds her own ways to give back to community like offering a class to empower women home owners to do their own DIY projects!

Designer

In my professional life I am a designer. A broad term for a broad career. After school I’ve worked in many different design disciplines including web & digital, product & marketing and in recent years, office/retail. It’s important to note that a designer’s job isn’t to make something look pretty. The goal is functional and a huge component is user experience. That is the lens through which I look at our city with.

Current Work

I my day to day work I spend my time meeting with clients to discuss their space. I guide them on how to communicate their brand philosophy most effectively and elevate the experience of customers and employees. I’ve heard the origin stories from many local small business owners and developers and I’ve watched many succeed and unfortunately many fail. This perspective gives me eyes on the ground for what leads to success.

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Entrepreneur

Outside of my day job I’ve been able to chase several side passions and get involved with the local startup communities. In Richmond VA I was a member of the startup accelerator called Gangplank where I gave back by mentoring founders on design. I’ve worked on multiple startups and was part of a successful Kickstarter team. Currently I am working on an innovative approach to board game design with my son. Working on this creative project with my son is an amazing process where I get to learn as much as guide.

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Education

I graduated Homestead Highschool in 2003 and went on to attend the University of St. Francis on a merit based scholarship in their Computer Animation program, I also took business courses at IPFW (now Purdue Ft. Wayne).

Service

I have always been a service minded individual. Those who know me often give me a hard time for always saying yes when someone asks for help. I’ll admit to saying yes too often but so many times the experience and fulfillment I receive in return are well worth it. Below are a few volunteer roles & activities I’ve been a part of through the years.
  • HOA – Past President, current maintenance guy
  • Gangplank Startup Accelerator - Design mentor
  • Center for Inquiry – Many roles, received Volunteer of the Year
  • Fishers Democratic Club – President
  • Hamilton County Humane Society – Kennel cleaner
  • Indianapolis Public School - Field Day Chaperone