I was born in Algoma, WI, and grew up in the Bay Settlement and DePere areas.  I went to Abbot Pennings High School and graduated from Rockhurst College in Kansas City, Missouri, where I majored in political science.  I attended law school at the University of Missouri in Kansas City.

I have practiced law in Kansas City, Green Bay, and Evansville, IN, which included seven years as in-house litigation counsel for Scheider National, INC.  While there I created the Trucking Industry Defense Association in 1993 and ran the organization for ten years while also practicing law.

I have always been active in the church parishes to which I belonged, including singing in the choir, parish council, building committees, and fundraising events.  My hobbies include golf, biking, reading and travel.  My wife and I have played golf in 49 states.

Over the years, I have been involved with hundreds of mediations- everything from two-car crashes to million-dollar property damage claims.  Most civil cases are settled, not tried, and mediation can be a very useful tool in reaching those agreements.  Working with the Mediation Center is a way to help others while retired, and it gets me out of the house.