This is my 14th year at WPHS.  I was born and raised in the Midwest.  Growing up outside of Chicago, I learned the value of hard work, discipline, and a strong work ethic at a young age.  Upon graduating high school I moved to Florida to attend college and played college golf.  I majored in Business Management and Marketing at UNF.  I met my wife Stephanie at UNF and we married in 1995, and moved to Ocala.  We have two children, Ethan and Summer who also attend WPHS.  My wife Stephanie is a native Ocalan.

My introduction to Ceramics was in college at UNF.  It was not until my last semester in college.  It is for this very reason that I believe the electives are extremely important to our children to explore areas that they are interested in at a young age.  Had I a chance to do it again, I would have taken Art electives in high school and certainly in college to pursue an area that I not only had talent in but a desire to create.  I did not have the knowledge that I could make a living as an artist at that time.   When we moved to Atlanta I began taking pottery classes in the evening at the Chastain Art Center.  I started to acquire equipment which allowed me to focus on Ceramics.  I have traveled the country and attended hundreds of Art Shows.  My niche is working on the wheel creating functional pieces.  After traveling as a full time potter for three years I made a decision to return to teaching. Which led me to apply for the teaching position as the Ceramics Instructor at West Port High School. I feel fortunate to be in a position where I love to teach a subject that I love and to be at the best High School in Marion County.

I have also been extensively involved in coaching my kids in soccer at Big Sun. Other interests include cooking, fishing, the outdoors, and sporting competitions.