Growing up on a farm in rural south Georgia, I learned early in life the importance of responsibility and hard work. The entrepreneurial spirit is instilled early in those experiences. In High School I learned the hard lessons and risks associated with agricultural business and the importance of managing cash flow through the seasons of preparing, planting, managing, and harvest. In college I pursued degrees in economics and finance and after graduation applied my education in both public policy and private enterprise. As an ACE Hardware store owner for nearly a decade during one of the toughest economic cycles in our lifetime I learned first hand the many challenges start up businesses contend with. After closing that business in January 2016 I was offered the opportunity to work with the UGA SBDC in Dekalb and hope to use both my education and experience as a business owner to help other entrepreneurs achieve their goals.

Education

• MBA Finance – DePaul University
• MS(ABT) Ag. Econ – UGA
• BS Ag. Econ – UGA

Experience

• UGA SBDC Business Consultant from August 2016 to present
• Owner/Manager Ace Hardware Windermere July 2009 to January 2016
• Partner Ogeechee Peaches, Millen, GA. 2003-2010.
• Executive Director, Southern Nursery Association, Atlanta, GA November 2006 to July 2009
• FSA State Director, Athens, GA and Special Assistant to the USDA Secretary, November 2002-November 2006
• Executive Director, Forest Landowners Association, Atlanta, GA November 1994 – November 2002
• Legislative Assistant, US Senator Paul Coverdell, Washington, DC November 1992- November 1994

Volunteer

• President of the University of Georgia Student Senate
• President of UGA Ag Hill Council
• President, AGHON, Honor Society,
• State President Future Farmers of America
• Member Gridiron Secret Society,
• Named Outstanding AG Alumni University of Georgia 2004