I was born and raised in inner-city Chicago, in one of the city’s many skyline south side Housing Developments.  Growing up on Chicago’s inner-city south side, I experienced the untold.  Exposed to an environment infested with crime, gangs, financial devastation and lack of educational opportunities, I functioned with a tapered mind-set to believe my biggest task in life was to complete high school.  I did not even attempt to entertain life after high school, because many of my cronies in pursuit of the same accomplishments dreams were tarnished when their lives were claimed by the war on drugs, gang related activities and other ill occurrences that plagued the neighborhood on a random or daily basis.

Determined to escape that environment, immediately following graduation I enrolled as a full-time student at the University of Wyoming.  During my Freshmen year at UW, not only did I worry about expediting the transition from the south side of Chicago to the city of Laramie, Wyoming, but I stressed about how I was going to afford the next semester.  With nothing to lose and everything to gain, I decided to exploit my street ball talents in exchange for an athletic scholarship to help defray my college expenses.  Fortunately, Coach Jim Brandenburg enabled me to continue my undergraduate studies at UW.  As a student-athlete competing in the classroom and on the court, I managed to overcome both poverty and stereotypes commonly associated with student-athletes as well as conquer the odds of successfully completing a Bachelor of Science in Business Education.  I became the first in my family to obtain a Bachelor’s degree.  Also, while excelling in the classroom, I was fortunate enough to be a part of some of the most memorable years in Cowboy Basketball history, National Invitational Tournament Finalist, 1986 and Sweet Sixteen NCAA, 1987.

After completing a B.S. in Business Education, I was employed for two years as a Teacher’s Assistant and Girl’s Head Basketball Coach at Laramie Junior High School.  In July of 1990, I was hired as UW’s first Admission Counselor/Coordinator of Minority Recruitment.  In 1997, I obtained a Master’s of Public of Administration from the University of Wyoming.  In 1997, I advanced my career by accepting an Assistant Director of Admissions position at Grand Valley State University, Allendale, Michigan.  Six months later, I was promoted to Associate Director for Minority Recruitment at Grand Valley State University. 

In 1999, I decided to pursue a doctorate in Educational Leadership from Western Michigan University.  In 2003, I was hired as dean of the Office of Multicultural Affairs at Grand Valley State University.  In 2005, I completed my doctorate in Educational Leadership.