In 1972, my family moved from Rockbridge County, Virginia -- where we lived in a four-room house without an indoor bathroom -- to the United Methodist Children's Home in Richmond, Virginia. My three siblings and I were each placed into a "cottage" based upon our age and gender. I lived at the Children's Home for six years, before moving to Tahlequah, Oklahoma with foster parents. My first paying job was at the Children's Home, where I helped maintain the 40-acre campus for 35 cents per hour. The children would cut the grass with tractors and push mowers, pick up trash, trim bushes, edge sidewalks, and maintain all the equipment. The lessons I learned at an early age prepared me for the hard work that would be necessary for me to become the first person in my family to graduate from college.

Out of a deep desire to give something back to the country that has given me so much, in 1988 I joined the US Navy Reserve. I served our country as a Naval Intelligence Officer for 23 years until 2011, when I honorably retired as Commander.

While in the Navy, I made two deployments to South Korea and one to Iceland, and a field deployment with the US Army. I participated in a NATO exercise onboard the USS Mount Whitney. I was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal on three occasions. My experience in the Navy gave me the tools needed to become a business professional in strategic management, banking, global telecommunications, and the defense industry. In 2014, I founded my own small business, Rockbridge Consulting, which specializes in studies and analysis.

My wife, Barbara, and I have been married for 25 years and have lived in Ashburn since 2000. My family and I have been involved in our community. I have been a recreational and travel soccer coach and a certified soccer referee. My wife and daughters have volunteered at the Loudoun Interfaith Relief food pantry. We attend the Arcola United Methodist Church.​