I’ve been lucky enough to have the best job in the world: helping entrepreneurs build companies that change their lives—and their communities.
I started as a student entrepreneur, launching my first company, Proteus, while studying forensic science. In 1996, we made it possible to send a text from a website.
We had first-mover advantage, no outside funding, and by 2004 we sold the company—just as texting became a global phenomenon.
After that exit, I spent two years as an adjunct at Georgetown University, teaching one of their first entrepreneurship courses—before startups were even mainstream.
But the itch to build pulled me back. My second company raised $50M, became the leading mobile platform for campaigns and entertainment brands, and helped the Obama campaign pioneer political texting—promising supporters they’d hear the VP pick by text before the media.
That moment changed how campaigns engaged voters, and I was honored to write the forward for Obama’s official post-presidency coffee table book.
After exiting that company, everyone expected me to go into VC.
But I realized what truly lit me up was helping entrepreneurs at the earliest stages, the way I once needed help.
That led me to Yale University, where I served as an Entrepreneur in Residence, and found my calling: building systems that work for real founders, not theory.
I also served as entrepreneurship faculty at Brown University, helping students connect classroom learning to real-world startup execution.
But my biggest body of work began in 2017, when I took on leadership roles at James Madison University, and then in 2020 at Towson University, where I served as Executive Director of Entrepreneurship through Spring 2025.
At JMU, my work was focused entirely on students, building programs that helped student founders win national competitions, raise capital, and build companies that now exceed $50M in valuation—like BarTrack and BeatGig.
When I moved to Towson University, I expanded the model, opening the accelerator to both students and community founders—including doctors, Super Bowl winners, Harvard and Stanford MBAs, and veterans.
Seeing success with both students and community founders is what led me to create Eclectic Founders—an accelerator platform designed to work for all types of entrepreneurs, no matter their background, education, or industry.
Institutional Impact (2017–2025
From 2017 to 2025, I led entrepreneurship at James Madison and Towson University, building programs that produced measurable, nationally recognized results:
“Exactly what we want to invest in and need in every corner of the state.”
And now, through Eclectic Founders, I bring that same proven, founder-first, modular accelerator platform directly to your community—without the red tape, rigidity, or barriers of traditional models.
Because after all these years, I still believe what I knew as a student entrepreneur:
Founders don’t need more theory. They need real-world tools, honest guidance, and someone who’s been in their shoes.
But don’t take my word for it—hear directly from the founders I’ve worked with. Check out their stories and testimonials to see the impact for yourself.
