Arlington School & Family Magazine April/May 2015 | Page 33
Jimmy Buffett when he was a young song-writer along the
gulf coast. He chose his own path and has influenced many
people around the world to take on life with a positive attitude
and to not be afraid to go against the norm.
GIVE US A BRIEF BIO OF YOUR CAREER.
I think my career started with my first job in high school
at Six Flags Over Texas. I used to work in the games
section guessing age, weight and birthday (Yes, I was one
of those guys and loved it!) This is when I was taught the
true meaning of customer service as every guest deserved a
positive experience in the park. This high school job helped
mold my career. After graduating from the Mays Business
School, I went to work for FedEx, handling large corporate
accounts in the Dallas market. From there, I was given the
opportunity to be one of 16 young business executives to
be chosen out of 215,000 applicants to be on the inaugural
season of The Apprentice. This is when I realized the city
of Arlington would be my forever home. After traveling the
country for work, I came back to Arlington and entered the
HR outsourcing and consulting world where I currently serve
Fortune 500 companies as the Texas large market executive
for Aon Corporation, advising clients to offer innovative and
effective solutions to their benefit plans.
numerous AISD committees and then after many years was
encouraged to run for the board in 2008. In my seven years,
we have turned the AISD into one of the most progressive
districts and one that is modeled by other districts in the state
and country. †
WHAT MAKES YOU SO PASSIONATE ABOUT
THE AISD?
Passion is easy when you realize you are doing it to give
back to those who gave you so much. I received an amazing
education from the AISD, and I want my child and other kids
to receive the same. Education is the great equalizer and lets
a child, regardless their previous situation, choose the path
of success. I also saw many of my friends I grew up with not
choosing to live in Arlington. They felt the district needed to
be more progressive, which is hard to hear as someone who
loves the city.My parents taught me to always become part of
the solution instead of part of the problem and being the son
of educators, I have an educator’s heart. So I got involved in
April/May 2015 - Arlington School & Family 31