Williamsburg, Virginia, United States
So here's the deal.. I used to have a bunch of "strategic words" here but it sounded like I was trying to impress some girl to take to prom. The truth is I started off my career poor as a skunk and alternated working a semester at NASA as an intern and going to school to get my engineering degree. Lived in 3 trailers and owned 3 Chevettes before the age of 25. Moved out of the trailer park and worked at NASA 14 years. Almost ended up back in a trailer after I started a company. It was successful, I sold it to a big public company and moved into finance, executive leadership, and M&A. I've now been CEO several times, managed venture-backed and public companies, had lots of success and some failure. I've been fortunate to be involved in innovation as it goes through its high-growth stages. In the 90's, I led work in aircraft design and computer simulations, worked on the Internet when and where it started, and my team built one of the first Internet security companies. Developed AI things before AI was a buzzword. Led a company in mobile trying to convince airlines you could check in via an app. I have since led the creation of one of the most innovative medical devices on the planet; Fast Company named it #6 in Health globally in 2024. We reached 350,000 patient uses across 16 countries, secured GPO contracts with Vizient and Premier, and signed an OEM licensing agreement with Terumo Corporation. We ran 12 consecutive MDSAP audits with zero observations or major findings. I've done over $300M in private equity transactions and been fully responsible for P&Ls from $12M to over $200M. Over my career I've developed algorithms, written code, set up manufacturing lines, invested and purchased companies, built award-winning marketing campaigns and sales strategies, and surrounded it all with awesome cultures and people. I've developed great relationships with co-CEOs, technicians, operators, nurses, scientists and the best sales and marketing people across multiple industries. I travelled the world giving talks to anyone who would listen, broken bones in foreign countries, and sat on a public basement floor in Belgium at midnight drinking bad wine from a vending machine. But, we created an entirely new healthcare safety category. There... no prom date for me. NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal; NASA Group Achievement Award; Fast Company World's Most Innovative Companies (#6 Health, 2024); Inc. and Modern Healthcare Best in Business; Top 3 Startup World Cup; Bagley College Distinguished Fellow; nearly 70 U.S. and international patents.
Virginia Bio (VaBio) is the premier statewide non-profit trade association representing the life sciences industry in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Founded in 1992 and the official state affiliate of the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO), Virginia Bio unites more than 200 member companies, research institutions, and universities to advance a life sciences ecosystem recognized for innovation, commercial success, and contributions to improved health. The sector it represents contributes roughly $8 billion to the Commonwealth's economy. Currently serve as co-chair of Medical Device Interest Group.
Support strategic oversight, governance, and long-term value creation
ivWatch develops and markets optical biosensor technology focused on infusion therapy and vascular access. Complications from peripheral IVs range from skin redness and burning to skin necrosis, compartment syndrome, limb amputation and even death. We changed that. We commercialized a 10-year NIH research program that prior research groups had been unable to solve and received FDA clearance on a first-of-its-kind Class II medical device that continuously monitors peripheral IVs with disposable sensors and patient monitors, providing early detection of infiltration and extravasation events. Nearly 70 patents later, we reached 350,000 patient uses across 16 countries. Served as Founder and CEO for 14 years with full responsibility for strategy and operations. Built the company from the ground up; design, development, in-house manufacturing per ISO 13485, clinical evidence, commercial operations, and capital formation. Established GPO contracts with Vizient and Premier, the two largest US healthcare group purchasing organizations. Signed a licensing and OEM integration agreement with Terumo Corporation, naming Terumo exclusive distributor in Japan and global OEM licensing partner. Ran 12 consecutive MDSAP audits with zero observations or major findings, conducted by TÜV SÜD across 10 years. Fast Company World's Most Innovative Companies #6 in Health 2024. Inc. Best in Business. Modern Healthcare Best in Business. Top 3 Startup World Cup from 8,000+ global applicants.
Served as Partner in a boutique corporate development and transaction advisory firm supporting venture-backed and growth-stage companies. Advised clients on due diligence, strategic planning, and deal structuring for mergers, acquisitions, and strategic partnerships. Applied deep operating and M&A experience to evaluate technologies, management teams, and financial models. In simple terms — we were the “mechanics under the hood,” hired to assess smaller companies before major investments or transactions.
Led overall strategy and operations for a pioneering mobile software development tools company—years before the smartphone era. AppForge enabled enterprises to build and deploy mobile applications across early platforms like BlackBerry, Nokia, Palm, and Symbian. Established AppForge as a leading enterprise mobile software provider with over 2,000 global accounts, including McKesson Healthcare, Primerica/Citigroup, Sherwin-Williams, Thomson Medical, and FedEx. Built a subscription-based business model that grew bookings by over 100% annually and GAAP revenue by 50–70% year-over-year. Forged strategic partnerships with Nokia, RIM, Cingular, and other leading mobile innovators, and represented the company at major industry conferences such as CTIA, Gartner, Forrester, and Symbian events. Technology acquired by Oracle in 2007, advancing Oracle’s mobile enterprise strategy and marking one of the early commercial consolidations in enterprise mobility.
Joined Symantec through the acquisition of URLabs, the internet security company I founded to commercialize NASA research, and served as Senior Vice President across three distinct roles under CEO John Thompson. SVP Corporate Development: Reported directly to John Thompson. Built and managed Symantec's $55M strategic investment fund, driving acquisitions and equity positions in emerging security companies; including an $18M investment in BrightMail, later acquired for $375M. Led M&A strategy and integration across multiple technology acquisitions. Interim VP Enterprise Products: Reported directly to John Thompson. Held full P&L responsibility exceeding $200M across Symantec's enterprise product portfolio during active organizational restructuring. SVP Service Provider Solutions: Hand-picked by Thompson to lead an internal venture team created specifically because he felt Symantec had become too bureaucratic to innovate. Built a "company within a company" with a mandate to embed Symantec security technology directly into partners' products and platforms. One early example was integrating a server-based version of Norton Antivirus into Yahoo Mail, pioneering what the industry would later call the SaaS distribution model.