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Through varied work experiences I learned a lot about the way things work in education from the outside. As a result, I probably know as much about education politics, policy and technology as anyone who works in schools everyday. I am a former urban planner, general manager of a non-profit, and software executive who did business with school districts, colleges and universities daily on the job for more than 20 years. I have also marketed software to schools and have been involved in their government relations all that time. I also worked with school administrations as a student and volunteer. I went to college and graduate school over three decades, the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s, earning a BA in Political Science from Rutgers, a Master’s in Urban Planning from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a MBA from Rutgers. What is your mission with Educated Quest? I hope to present different, possibly contrarian, but always informed, viewpoints on education based on my professional and volunteer experiences. I have always enjoyed researching and proposing new ideas. I do not always accept the status quo. I see public policies in education that are well intentioned, but badly conceived; they do not mesh well with the way schools do business with their customers: parents, students, and sometimes the community at large. Why did you start by writing a fiction story? I did a lot of writing in all of my work, including speeches, public reports, press releases, advertising copy and sales presentations—and I loved doing all of them. I always liked reading ‘what if’ scenarios in history and politics, so I thought I would take my writing in that direction. I also believed that I could use fiction to explain political issues in an entertaining fashion. What do you do outside of work? My wife Carol and I like to travel and see sights we cannot see at home in New Jersey. I love to read history, politics, business and sports and I am a baseball, football and automobile enthusiast. This past year, I also became a season ticket holder for Rutgers football—and the team won 11 games, their best performance in 30 years. My presence in the stadium had little to do with their success, but it was great to see a sea of scarlet in the stands. |
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