Please tell us a little bit about yourself and your background.

While I grew up in Forsyth County, I have spent most of my life in Gwinnett County as former student and current educator and resident. I currently live in Sugar Hill with my wife of 17 years and our 9-year-old daughter and two dogs. A lifelong educator, I have been a teacher and administrator in Gwinnett County Public Schools for 19 years. As an alumnus of GCPS, I taught at both North Gwinnett High School and Lanier High School before serving in the College and Career Development department where I have supported Career and Technical Education programs across 29 middle schools, 24 high schools, and 8 specialty schools. I have a doctorate in English Education from Kennesaw State University, and have published articles and chapters on student agency, identity, project-based learning, and literacy. I have also won both state level and national level awards as an educator.

What inspired you to join The Water Tower’s board, and what keeps you engaged in our mission today?
I am inspired by the heart of The Water Tower’s vision to build a thriving ecosystem of innovation within the world of water, especially their aspirations to build the workforce of tomorrow all while being people driven and people centered. From my seat as an educator, The Water Tower is creating immediate opportunities for young people and career changers to enter the water workforce. How they are doing that is the most important innovation of all. While it may not seem novel, The Water Towers focus on collaborating with Gwinnett County Public Schools, local postsecondary partners, municipalities across the country, and internationally truly sets its vision apart. This organization does the actions needed to see their vision come to life by inviting the voices and talents of all ages and walks of life to push innovation and economic access.

What role do partnerships and collaborations play in advancing our mission?
The Water Towers partnership with our local schools has provided students a unique look at the opportunities in water. Annually, the organization hosts high school students to see innovation in action and to attract future scientist and engineers to the field. Their willingness to go into our schools and be part of job fairs or career exploration has opened new doors for students who would not otherwise know of the lucrative job opportunities they have right after high school. The Water Tower has also engaged our schools through our Work Based Learning programs, allowing students to intern and gain real world experience. TWT is vital to opening doors to careers for students headed to college, future postgraduates, and those seeking economic freedom directly out of high school.

What’s one moment, program, or initiative at The Water Tower that has made you especially proud to be involved?
I take great pride in the workforce development initiative. With talented leadership, this program continues to grow and provide meaningful training opportunities in partnership both locally and regionally. The curriculum is strong and allows trainees to get into a career both quickly and safely.

What excites you most about the future of The Water Tower over the next few years?
There are some future opportunities to look forward to as we build our partnerships across the public and private sector. I am excited to build a stronger pipeline of GCPS graduates seeking opportunities in the water workforce and building more programming together that serves students of all backgrounds.

From your perspective, what makes The Water Tower’s campus a unique asset for Gwinnett County?
The Water Tower campus brings the world to us and showcases Gwinnett County on a global stage, reinforcing Gwinnett as an international influencer and location to be sought for innovation. The campus has been developed to be self-sustaining and meet the needs of research, technical innovation, and workforce development not just locally or regionally but internationally.

What does long-term success look like for The Water Tower campus over the next 5-10 years?
Long term success has everything to do with continued partnership growth and collaboration between public and private organizations. As The Water Tower enters the next decade of work, how we expand the campus to invite further innovation and workforce development will be instrumental to building the ecosystem of innovation we seek in our vision. I see a future where researchers create world altering innovations that bring clean, safe water to all corners of the planet as well as sustainable technologies for local communities. I also see a future where the workforce in water is robust and thriving economic driver in Gwinnett and our partners across state lines.