Data Analytics Manager. Lifelong motorsport obsessive. Ironman finisher. I turn complicated data into decisions people can act on — and I do it best when the subject matters.
I grew up in Grant Park, Illinois, a town of about 1,800 people where my graduating class numbered just 39. I played whatever sport was in season, moving from soccer to baseball to basketball to wrestling to track, and in between I found my way into band, choir, and the school musicals.
The thing that really took hold, though, was racing. My grandpa took me to watch a go-kart race in elementary school, and from that day on I was hooked on motorsports. Before long I had a kart of my own and drove it every chance I got. On weekends we'd head out to the dirt tracks to watch late model stock cars slide around the banking, and the first time I stood near a Top Fuel dragster the rumble went right through my bones.
The spring I graduated high school, I saw my first Indianapolis 500 and left in complete awe. I've made it back nearly every year in the twelve years since.
A career in finance wasn't my original plan. A former race engineer talked me out of motorsports engineering for practical reasons, and my brother nudged me toward business instead. He turned out to be right. Even so, the pull toward racing never went away; it just had to wait for the right opening.
High school graduation cap — Butler-bound, with a NASCAR pit crew theme. The signs were all there.
Turn 4, Indianapolis Motor Speedway — that's my best friend Kevin. I took this one. First Indy 500, spring 2014.
From a go-kart in Grant Park to a top-15 firm. Every detour had a reason.
From a go-kart in Grant Park to a top-15 firm. Every detour had a reason.
Eight years of BI across dozens of industries. The stack has evolved. The obsession with clean data and clear decisions hasn't.
"A lot of people criticize Formula 1 as an unnecessary risk. But what would life be like if we only did what is necessary?" — Niki Lauda
My love of motorsports started on dirt tracks as a kid and go-karts in the backyard, and grew into nights at the NHRA pits where the engines seem to run straight through you. I've now been to a dozen Indianapolis 500s, and when Drive to Survive pulled me into Formula 1, I kept going well past the surface, into the technical regulations, car development, circuit histories, and the economics of competing.
Digging into all of that turned out to be the same analytical work I do every day, just with client data instead of lap times. The instincts behind both are very much the same.
Indianapolis Motor Speedway — victory lane celebration
NHRA pits — the engines go straight through you
When I'm not building dashboards, I'm usually out covering distance, whether that's an Ironman, a long ride on the Canyon, or a climb up into the mountains. The mindset carries over from work, too. I prepare carefully, show up consistently, and stick with it until the work is complete.
