How does one define them self? Family? Relationships? Friends? Career? Hours spent online? While I do not define myself solely by my vocation, I will share that summary later on this page as that seems to be a reasonable part of any introduction.

Being a father is by far the most fulfilling and surprising role I have ever accepted. The joys of watching my children begin to define and achieve their own dreams is a gift. The challenges of growing up are painful to experience again. It is harder to see my own children suffering from the growing pains of adolescence than I ever recall feeling as a pre-teen or teenager. Parenting is a treasure chest. I appreciate their constant joy and curiosity as they take in all that is around them and begin to develop their own beliefs and morph into young adults.

My wife provides the calming effect that my children and I need. Her tender nature has a way of bringing us all to acceptance, laughter and understanding. How is that girls come pre-wired with that sparkly nature? Women can turn on and off sparkle at will or blind you when you least expect it. Sunglasses are rendered completely useless by a woman's intent to shine. We had our ceremony in 2011 at a secluded farm in Rhode Island. The farm is close enough so that we can easily break away from our daily life and escape when we want to. We always enjoy those opportunities to escape together.

A definition of success could be the car, salary, network, portfolio, etc. For me success has been measured more by a willingness, a requirement, to try something different and expose myself to risk. Every moment is an opportunity to renew, restore, recharge or reinvent. This mantra has carried through in my personal life, work - all of it.

The shift to digital media in the early 90's started an endless cycle of projects and opportunities for me. While Kodak infamously declared their return to film as a core product (someone call a doctor), I started a career as an independent consultant and had my hands in everything from photography, design, digital pre-press imaging systems, web development, training and project management.

Working in training and consulting was a great way to share knowledge I had learned in college and from my short-lived career with Kodak. Training also brought me to the forefront of another shift happening as classroom training quickly evolved into distance learning. Though I was feeling very comfortable with training, I started my e-learning career without any hesitation. Soon following my work in e-learning, I also became involved in another 'systems' evolution in the form of web content and document management.

After several large-scale system conversion projects I took on another new role on the eve of physician's and hospitals beginning to adopt e-prescribing and electronic health record systems. That was over five years ago when the majority of prescriptions were still being written on paper. Today the healthcare industry is becoming flooded with innovation and solutions that weren't even possible a few years ago.

Giving back has always been a priority for me. I was inspired to volunteer by my parents and grandparents who consistently supported others in their community. My volunteer interests over the years have ranged from the arts, education and healthcare to supporting Native Americans.

Most recently I have volunteered to support an annual clothing and toy drive for children living in desperate poverty on the Cheyenne River Reservation in South Dakota. I was inspired to help after visiting the 'Rez' in 2009 with my family. Conditions are hard to explain to most people who have the luxury of indoor plumbing, heat and fresh water. What many U.S. citizens consider basic necessities are luxuries for Lakota families.

Education, healthcare, jobs and transportation are sadly beyond reach for many Lakota. Life improves very slowly on reservations. My prayer is that 2012 will bring many positive changes to the Rez and all indigenous people around the world. Many people are working together to rebuild the pride and much deserved recognition of our Native American brothers and sisters. Mitakuye Oyasin.