Born and raised in Illinois, I was a competitive swimmer for 10 years, ran cross-country, and played on my high school’s volleyball team. I ran the Chicago marathon in 1995 and began competing in triathlons. This intense physical training taught me determination and a refuse-to-lose attitude. When a swimming set is viewed in its entirety it will most certainly be overwhelming, oftentimes resulting in failure. I learned to view each segment of a swimming set independently as if not concerned with the fact that a myriad of similar segments followed. I could push myself to completion if I concentrated on one segment at a time but would have difficulty if I thought of the entire task as one entity. I am currently an avid expert skier and snowboarder.

My first job was caddying at local golf courses. It was a unique experience to be young and surrounded by successful businessmen on a daily basis. In 1995 I received a four-year full tuition Chick Evans Scholarship from the Western Golf Association to attend the University of Illinois – Urbana Champaign. The scholarship program is also a community organization requiring all recipients to live in the Evans Scholars’ chapter house with the other 90 Evans Scholars attending the University of Illinois. Living in a community organization housing nearly one hundred students developed many interpersonal skills, because all those involved must live cooperatively.

During the summer of 1997 I received a full tuition Gates Leadership Scholarship to attend Colorado Outward Bound School’s “30-day Alpine Mountaineering Course”. This was definitely the most influential and moving experience of my life. For an entire month, our class traveled by foot through the most rugged part of the Rocky Mountain Range (San Juan Mountains - Weminuche Wilderness). The Outward Bound School strives to build leadership skills among a team of students repeatedly faced with physical and mental challenges that may at first seem incredibly overwhelming. Students gain skills and determination due to the necessity that they work together to accomplish team goals in an environment that becomes as extreme as life or death.

During college I followed a curriculum in engineering, acquiring BS degrees in Mechanical Engineering & Electrical Engineering (Mathematics minor) and an MS degree in Materials Science. My senior project involved designing and constructing an elaborate 3-way audio loudspeaker system (mechanical enclosure as well as electrical crossover network). I developed software to automate the impedance and acoustic response measurements of each driver. The data was used to simulate the drivers’ characteristics in a circuit design program for designing the electrical crossover.

As an undergraduate, I was fortunate to receive National Science Foundation funding providing a research experience in the field of tribology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Tribology is the study of friction, lubrication, and wear. MIT’s Haystack Observatory is a radio telescope requiring extremely accurate tape recordings of observations. I assisted a professor researching tape recorder head-to-tape interfaces. I returned to Boston two summers later to work for Lucent Technologies as a test engineer. I also worked as a teaching assistant in multiple departments and taught several subjects including probability and statistics. I enjoyed the challenge involved in successfully communicating technical concepts to a class of younger students. I believe that becoming a better teacher also made me a better student.

During my last few years of school I pursued sculpture, working with multiple materials including glass, metal, fiber composites, and wood. The processes are many and varied. I freehand-blow, mold-blow, solid sculpt, cast, and slump glass. I have cast bronze, forged steel, and flame bent metal. I became proficient at all manual welding processes working with steel, brass, bronze, copper, stainless steel, and aluminum. I am skillful with all hand tools and machinery in a professional cabinetry shop.

After graduating I went to work for Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems. Initially, I developed an SQL database and became an advanced programmer in Visual Basic and Microsoft Office. I quickly moved into the research area and began working with the senior scientists. My work is directed by industry experts with doctorate degrees in math, physics, and engineering. I learned the methodical process of conducting research at the forefront of technology. I am responsible for data analysis, simulation, modeling, signal processing, and algorithm development for radar systems. I was the primary researcher on a small team that investigated Automatic Target Recognition algorithms. I am currently working in the field of electronic warfare developing electronic protection algorithms to mitigate the effects of radar jamming. I developed expert capability in Matlab and became familiar with image processing, information & estimation theory, non-linear dynamics and fractal geometry.

My interest in finance began when I had to figure out what to do with my paychecks. The first time I was introduced to technical analysis, I became infatuated because I felt that my education and skill set was perfectly aligned for this approach. I acquired a thorough education in technical analysis, derivatives and market psychology. My finance education and background provide a very broad understanding of various market theories. This allows me to choose where I fit best and keeps me aware of the mindset with which other traders approach the market. I produce trading research from a technical and quantitative viewpoint utilizing Matlab as my primary tool. I programmed my own custom coded backtesting platform and have used it to find several successful trading strategies. I have a plethora of ideas and potential strategies that are thoroughly documented for future research. Currently my most significant interests lie in seasonality, relative strength, and intraday trading.

My father has been the most influential person throughout my life. He earned a degree in accounting and was professionally involved with the stock market for 25 years. His contributions to my understanding of finance provide a long term viewpoint through fundamental economic analysis. He is a classic value investor that uses mutual funds and implements long term market timing with striking accuracy and outstanding risk management. His knowledge of the stock market has been my most valuable asset.