My Hometown
Crystal, MN

How I Came to BlueSky
My wife and I bought a convenience store/bait shop after I graduated from the U of MN – Twin Cities in Northern MN. We raised 5 kids in the Pine River, MN area. While operating the baitshop I decided to go to electronics school in Wadena, MN and earned a certificate in electronics. That brought me to a job in Winona, MN where I worked on troubleshooting new hard drives for a company that contracted with IBM. I soon left that for a new opportunity to work with an electronics start-up company in Brainerd, MN called Hunt Technologies (later sold to Landis & Gyr). I worked as a Product Manager. I helped develop one of the first AMR (automatic meter reader) systems. I helped bring it to the Domestic (and later international) electric utility market. I then started my own electronics company but decided that real estate was hot and decided to try my hand at that. I became a licensed real estate broker but when the real estate market tanked I decide to return to my passion for math and went back to school to get my teaching certificate. Once I became licensed I saw that BlueSky was hiring and applied in 2011. They liked my background and skill set and decided to have me join their family. I have been here ever since.

What Makes BlueSky Special to Me
We work well together even though we are scattered all over the country. This allows me to be home with my family and live where I need to but am always connected to a great group of people.

My Passions and Hobbies
I love spending time with my family fishing, hunting, being outdoors and just spending time together. I also love science and astronomy. I enjoy learning about new things and learning in general. I am active in my church and like serving others.

My Most Memorable Experience at BlueSky
Being present at the hearing when MDE was challenging BlueSky and being validated as a school by the courts. We have been becoming a better school each year after that.

Education
Bemidji State University
· Master of Arts in Teaching
· Masters level – Online Teaching Certificate
· Education – Licensed for Math 5-12 though portfolio

University of Minnesota
· Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics
· Minor in Statistics

Northwest Technical College
· Electronics Certificate
· FCC License