- I was born and raised in Staten Island, NY which has been called ‘home’ by the likes of Cornelius Vanderbilt (American business magnate), Pete Davidson (SNL), all of the Impractical Jokers (they actually went to the same high school I did, Monsignor Farrell), former mob boss “Uncle” Pauly Castellano, the Fresh Kills landfill (which has been labeled among the largest manmade structures on earth…yes, I guess an enormous mountain of trash is something to be proud of) and, of course, The Wu-Tang Clan.
- I moved to the Capital Region in 1988 to attend SUNY Albany – my apologies to Siena College but, after 12 years of private Catholic primary education, I needed a sample of the public-school life for college! My original plan was to attend R.I.T. on a Naval ROTC scholarship but I was ‘wait-listed’ and ended up choosing SUNY A instead…which may have worked out in my favor as I would have graduated and probably have been sent to the Persian Gulf for Operation Desert Storm. I also believe that things typically happen for a reason – more on that in a bit.
- I have always been very active in both sports and music; mostly baseball, hockey and drums growing up. As I have "matured" I have transitioned to golf and other less physically demanding sports and have recently begun jamming again with a couple of "older" dudes. Music has always been an enormous part of my life – playing, listening, watching, creating – I truly believe there is a music for every mood and I have often used it to fuel the moment, chill or just fill the background…I’m really not a fan of unwelcomed silence!
- Professionally, my plan was to serve in the Navy and/or to be a firefighter or police officer but none of those paths seemed to be for me. Instead, I have spent the majority of my career serving my community in a different capacity by working at Albany Med for almost 25 years. The winds of change brought me to Siena in June 2023 to work as a consultant on the Nobel Hall project. I officially became a “Saint” this past August and currently work with the facilities team.
- Okay, back to things happening for a reason. As I mentioned, fate brought me to the Capital Region to attend SUNY (well, I guess it could have been low SAT scores but ‘fate’ is my story and I’m sticking to it). After graduating in May of ’92, I was still figuring out what I was doing with my life so I decided to hang around for the summer and am forever grateful for that decision because that summer I met the woman who would become my wife, life partner, confidant and mother of our two amazing daughters! It’s been 33 years since meeting at The Washington Tavern in Albany and we both still love to tolerate each other’s company.
- I consider my greatest academic achievement getting an A- in Finance while finishing my MBA at Clarkson (sorry again, Siena). I only consider this great because it was the spring of 2020, I was working 10+ hours a day at Albany Med during the start of COVID lockdown and there were 4 other people, 2 dogs and a cat living in my house…and, well because it’s Finance!
- I am a diehard New York Yankees, New York Giants and New York Rangers fan. And, I don’t use the term ‘diehard’ loosely…it’s been dark times for NY sports teams of late.
- My wife, Debbie, and I love to camp and spend time outdoors with our daughters (Emma, 26 and Tori, 21), close friends and our 2 rescue pups, Lola and Brody. We bought a travel trailer during COVID and have really enjoyed seeing so much of our great state! That A- in Finance really helped during negotiations to buy our camper!
- Debbie is British and we try to get back to the U.K. to visit with her family every couple years or so. I love it over there – great food, great beer, great people and the history…you know a country is old when you go past an estate and read a sign that states “Est. 1545”.
