Roots… I was born, raised, and went to college in Upstate New York, in Syracuse and the surrounding areas. At a young age I was really into dinosaurs and wanted to be a paleontologist. The school I went to had a really good science department and I was really drawn to that area.

My first unofficial job was a tree trimmer on a Xmas tree farm at age 14. My first real job was as a lifeguard at a lake in a state park. The latter was a full time demanding position that taught me what a job and the accompanying responsibility look like.

Pathway to engineering… I’ve always been interested in the math and science fields. I chose that path in college and had a close group of friends that went into the land development field right after graduating. I followed this path.

An important role model in my life… When I started getting into traffic engineering, I was working with a seasoned traffic engineer named John Wilson. John owned his company for many years and joined Sandis to develop the traffic department. John and I clicked pretty quickly and he began mentoring me and helping me develop my knowledge of traffic engineering. John has since passed away, but he’s someone who’s often in my mind when I think about a traffic problem or situation.

Part of engineering and surveying that I didn’t expect but overcame is that there is a high level of proactive coordination required with many of the projects that we work on.

The key to balance between work and play… I’m a believer of when you’re at work you work and home is for family and personal time, with certain exceptions. COVID and children have certainly challenged this, but I do my best to balance the two.

Organizations outside of Sandis that are important to me… I am a member of the Institute of Transportation Engineers as well as the California Canoe and Kayak club.

My favorite pastime outside of work… My wife and I are both avid skiers and enjoy hitting the mountain as much as possible. I’m generally drawn to the outdoors – camping, kayaking, fly fishing, are some of my favorite pastimes. I love spending time with my 2 year old son Luca and our 4 year old Shepherd mix dog named Sophie.

My ideal vacation… There is a skiing trip to the Italian Dolomites that is currently my dream trip. The tour takes you from village to village enjoying local food and wine in the evening and skiing during the day. Fingers crossed I get to do it in the next 5-10 yrs.