I grew up in the gritty, blue-collar town of Ashtabula, Ohio — a place where the winters are long, the lake is always just a little too cold, and everyone knows your last name. It’s the kind of place that raised more than just workers — it raised survivors, storytellers, and people who knew how to find pride in hard work and family.
When I was 15, my parents divorced. That could’ve been the moment things fell apart, but I got lucky — really lucky. I didn’t just gain a stepmom; I gained another mom, plus a younger brother and sister. It turned out to be one of the best things that ever happened to me.
Growing up, my dad and older brother were my heroes. I was raised on ‘80s action movies and football, and to me, they were those guys — the warriors on the screen, the linebackers charging down the field. They showed me what grit looked like, what showing up every day looked like, no matter what life threw at you.
We were always told, “Don’t do what I did — get out of here, see the world, join the military.” So naturally, when my shot at playing college football didn’t pan out, I did what most stubborn 18-year-olds do: the opposite. I went to work at the same factory as my dad. Took about three months of that grind before I realized — I wanted more.
I bounced around Kent State for a bit before finally enlisting in the U.S. Air Force. I still remember sitting with the MEPS recruiter, picking a job. He said, “Pick this one and you’ll get ten grand, two stripes, and you get to wear a flight suit.” Say no more — I had Top Gun dreams. So I chose Aircraft Structural Maintenance.
I went to tech school at Pensacola Naval Air Station, then landed at Luke Air Force Base in Phoenix, AZ. Not long after I arrived, 9/11 happened. Everything changed. I was asked if I wanted to “volunteer” for Security Forces support. Now, my dad had done that job in the Army and told me never to do it. Naturally, I volunteered.
For about nine months, I rotated between my aircraft job and security detail. It was tough, but it sharpened me. That same year, I earned Below the Zone promotion and was named Luke Air Force Base Airman of the Year — a recognition that came from the values my family and my hometown instilled in me. After sewing on Staff Sergeant, I received orders to Lajes Field in the Azores — an island in the middle of the Atlantic.
After my time in the Azores, I decided it was time for a change and separated from active duty. I moved to Virginia, where my ex-wife lived, and started working for a company that built and designed museum exhibits. A year in, I realized it wasn’t the path I wanted. I still felt the pull to serve, to be part of something bigger — so I enlisted in the New Jersey Air National Guard as an All-Source Intelligence Analyst.
Once I finished school, I quickly moved into the defense contracting world and began working inside the intel space. It was a fast pivot — one that fit.
After my divorce in 2015, life took another unexpected turn — the good kind. I met Danielle. We’ve now been married for five years, and we have a fierce, funny, and beautiful three-year-old daughter, Maggie. I couldn’t imagine life without them.
I joined Invictus in 2019 and immediately found a company that aligned with my personal and professional values. It was also an opportunity to rejoin my mentor, this time in the Cyber arena—a field that was entirely new to me at the time. Since then, I’ve been consistently challenged to grow, surrounded by a team of exceptional peers who push me to be better every day. What’s made the journey even more meaningful is that, despite our growth, the close-knit, family atmosphere has remained strong—a testament to the culture that CEO Jim Kelly has worked hard to foster.