How would you support the FSAA’s mission to provide opportunities for alumni to connect and further their leadership and service in their communities?
I’ve been fortunate in my life to have mentors and leaders, including Kenneth and Hallie Ford, who have invested in me. I never met Kenneth Ford, but the legacy of leadership and commitment the Fords created with the Ford Family Foundation is inspirational and a consistent reminder of the need to invest in others. In my current role professionally, as well as personally, I promote the importance of service with future generations and would make this a large focus of my board service.
What skills, expertise, and/or other assets will you bring to the Board of Directors?
A skill that I lean heavily on in my current profession is collaboration. I have the responsibility to work across several internal departments, as well as a large number of external partners. I believe that my ability to align various, and at time competing perspectives, would be an asset to the Board. In addition, I believe one of my strongest traits is commitment. From my time in public service as a staff member in the U.S. Senate to my current role, I am fully invested in my commitments.
What would you like to accomplish while on the Board of Directors?
First would be the celebration and promotion of the possibilities created by education. As the son of public-school teacher, I know firsthand the impact that teachers can have on students. The career paths that were opened to me because of my education, made possible by the Ford Family Foundation, have made me the person, husband, father and community member that I am today.
Second would be to identify opportunities to expand and promote the impact of the Ford Scholar program. I believe that the vision of the Kenneth and Hallie Ford, the growth of the Ford Scholar program and the collective impact of Ford Scholars make for an extremely compelling narrative about the opportunities created through education and importance of investing our future. I would look to integrate strategies from my current marketing career to promote the power of the Ford Scholar program and the impact of Ford Scholars in communities across our state, country and globe.