Biographical Information
Toastmasters Member 1997-2001; rejoined 2019
In December 1973, my family moved from Belair, near Alabama State University, to Truett Manor in Montgomery, Alabama. In the summer of 1975, I attended Alabama State University, and later that fall, I joined the United States Air Force, beginning a career that would shape my discipline, worldview, and leadership journey.
In 1976, I married my high school sweetheart. Together, we welcomed two beautiful daughters, Marie and Kristjan. In 1981, we relocated to the Republic of the Philippines as part of my military assignment. In May 1985, we returned to the United States and settled in Fairfield, California. I retired from the Air Force in 1995 in Sacramento, California, concluding 20 years of honorable service. After retirement, I pursued higher education and earned my Master of Business Administration (MBA).
In 1997, I joined Toastmasters International as a member of Folsom Intellects, a corporate club at Intel Corporation. After the events of September 11, 2001, I left Intel to pursue project-based work, which led to a break from Toastmasters.
Several years later, about three to four years before COVID, I rejoined Toastmasters with Sutter Toastmasters in District 39. We met in person at Sutter Hospital at 7 a.m. before transitioning to virtual meetings during and after the pandemic. I remain an active member and have served as Club President (1.5 years), Sergeant-at-Arms, and currently serve in a dual role as Secretary and Sergeant-at-Arms.
After 38 years in California, I returned home to Montgomery, Alabama, in 2022 and joined Monarch Toastmasters. Today, I continue pursuing growth in communication, leadership, and service.
My Two Loves: Music and Reading
My love for reading began at Houston Hill Junior High School. Around that same time, I picked up the saxophone in the band. Science fiction and Black history were my early passions.
During the integration period, I transferred to Cloverdale Junior High School, where both music and reading became pillars in my development.
In 1972, at Jefferson Davis High School, my academic interests expanded. I studied French and immersed myself in the works of Greek philosophers such as Aristotle, along with French philosophers and novelists—often reading them in French.
During my active-duty years, my reading focused heavily on African and African American history, writers, poets, musicians, and thinkers.
In 2023, I made a renewed commitment to my Toastmasters journey. My desire is simple: to see how far this path can take me — and to allow it to carry me to places I have not yet gone.
Video message will be available Thursday, April 24th
