Welcome, Spring 2021 New 20Fathoms Members!

Get to know our newest 20Fathoms members.

I am a Data Analytics & Visualization Engineering Consultant. I help businesses across many different industries apply analytics and machine learning techniques in order to gain insights from their data and meet their business/organizational goals. I am also a co-founder of a non-profit organization called the_league.AI. Our mission is to inspire young students to become the next leaders in artificial intelligence by engaging them with weekly lessons and an end-of-year competition.

The first time I heard about 20Fathoms was at a TCNewTech event and after some research I got so inspired by the tech talent in the community as well as the great organized events. I then learned that 20Fathoms provided shared workspaces which is exactly what I needed. I used to work at Dow Chemical in an office environment and miss being around people. I look forward to being part of this network and getting involved.

When I’m not working or doing outreach stuff, I like to spend time with my fiancé, David, and labradoodle Bruno. I also enjoy traveling and discovering new places. In the warmer months I love getting out and indulging in the beautiful Northern Michigan scenery. 

My career choices are guided by a personal passion for food and food systems. Most recently, I spent seven years working with local and specialty food for Tamarack Holdings and its family of companies where I held a few different roles, each with emphasis on planning, strategy, and analysis. I recently expanded my reach to a national level and started working for the Independent Natural Food Retailers Association (INFRA) as a Business Analyst. My work on Oryana’s Board of Directors and the network I have built in Traverse City keeps me well-rooted to our local food scene but my position at INFRA allows me to support natural grocers across the United States.

I actually joined 20Fathoms out of necessity! We are renovating our house and, consequently, I was kicked out of my home office. A friend of mine is a member at 20F and encouraged me to check it out. Now I’m enjoying the kitchen conversations, the gorgeous view, and having the separation between work and home – even if it means I have to go back to wearing real shoes every day.

Outside of work, I’m literally outside trying to take advantage of everything Northern Michigan has to offer. In warm weather, you’re likely to find me out on the water in a canoe, sailboat, or rowing shell but there’s plenty I love to do on land too like hiking, cross country skiing, and traveling. Additionally, thinking about food and food systems doesn’t end with my workday. From growing my own garden to experimenting with recipes in the kitchen and enjoying good food with friends, I am always interested feeding my brain and belly with new information.

For most of my career I have specialized in private middle-market leadership succession planning, and then business modeling. The ‘matriarchs and patriarchs’ of family businesses need help planning and executing their own exit and succession to the next generation, and the next generation needs help taking up the challenge without dropping too many balls. Over time I became the one who helped the NextGen deconstruct the existing model, then reconstruct it in their own language and form.

I was drawn to 20Fathoms by the people I knew were already or would be drawn here. SolvePFAS is nominally an R&D integrator in a very focused niche:  detecting, tracking and remediating a specific environmental hazard, PFAS (per/polyfluoroalkyl substances). At the macro level, though, it is a proving ground for a business model using an L3C, an Opportunity Zone Fund, R&D tax credits and such. The vision is to align philanthropic, private capital, academic, and industrial enterprises to fund innovative solutions to a shared problem. 20F is simply a terrific environment for creative thinking.  

I absolutely love reading, especially historical fiction, so that’s a go-to pastime for me. I grew up in the north woods of Michigan, and just came back after a long time in Chicago; I have rekindled my zest for orienteering and geocaching.

I have worked in IT and process reengineering for the majority of my career across a wide range of organizations: volunteer organizations, non-profits, companies with less than 3 employees, to larger Fortune 500 companies.  My passion is working with teams to spark their innovative spirit.  When people are actively engaged in driving improvements, it brings them joy and pride in what they do.  I think of myself as a facilitator of happiness.  When I end a facilitated session and can “feel the energy” from the team, that is what brings me joy! 

I joined 20Fathoms because I love being involved in the local business community.  I believe small businesses are the backbone of our country and want to do anything I can to assist our local businesses to grow and succeed.  The team at 20Fathoms was so welcoming and the environment was very inspiring – I wanted to join after the first meeting!

I enjoy the typical northern Michigan hobbies – walking my dog in the woods, whitetail deer hunting, gardening, etc.  But, having grown up in the city, I never realized how much fun I would have driving a tractor.  I love my “chariot” as it allows me to make new trails on our property, smooth the land, remove trees and stumps, and so on.  The most enjoyable part is the immediate results – when you get done at the end of the day, you can see the difference you made!

I graduated from Kettering University with a degree in Mechanical Engineering and spent the first few years of my career working in the automotive and aerospace industries before moving into software engineering. I’ve been working remotely for my current company, Continu, for just over 6 years, where I am currently the VP of Engineering.

I love being a part of the local community and especially the local tech community. I’ve been wanting to join 20Fathoms for a while and the timing has finally been right with my two children getting older.

I love to spend as much time outside as I can doing things like fishing, hiking, and camping with my family.