1. What was your first job and what did it teach you?

My first job was mowing lawns and working on a cattle farm as a teenager. I learned the importance of manual labor and having to show up early for work.

2. What is your favorite part of your job at Woods Rogers?

Helping clients plan for success, trying to avoid legal issues on the front end and then, of course, problem-solving when issues do arise.

3. How would you describe your leadership style?

Servant leadership. I look at a leadership role as a way to help the people you're serving.

4. What have you learned from being on the GOVA Region 2 council?

I'm very impressed by how the different government organizations and institutional leaders are cooperating and working together toward a common goal. That is something I have observed in my time on the council and my hope is to be able to help more actively.

5. Can you talk about why a program like GO Virginia is important for community and economic development?

There's a great opportunity, particularly in today's economy where there's not enough workers, for more workforce development. GO Virginia has done a lot of work to help institutions and organizations in our region place people in quality jobs they like. Also, we have an incredible amount of government funded research in the region. GO Virginia can assist efforts focused on supporting entrepreneurs and scientists who want to spin off businesses from the government funded research.

6. What is one of your favorite parts of living in GO Virginia Region 2?

The combination of living in the mountains—having the outdoors so accessible—while having a cool downtown and affordable housing; to me, that's a great and very special match.

7. What are some of the similarities between your role at Woods Rogers and your work on the Region 2 council?

As a business lawyer, I help startup companies get underway and plan for success, which fits in well with what we're trying to accomplish in our region. I work with a lot of spin-off and small technology companies and have good visibility regarding the challenges they may face in terms of spinning off, getting funded, and growing their business.

8. What do you look forward to seeing GO Virginia Region 2 do more of in the future?

I’m very excited about the work some of these community colleges are doing, in helping match people with quality job opportunities. It’s also important to work hard to accelerate and accentuate the strengths we already have. I'm a pretty big believer in getting the word out about our community nationwide as a place with awesome outdoors, tons of universities, great downtowns, relatively affordable housing and an incredible and surprising amount of funded research.

9. What activities or hobbies do you like to do in your spare time?

I like to ski, and I’ve coached a lot of youth lacrosse.

10. What is your favorite place to travel?

Bath County, which is just one county away from Region 2! I like to inner-tube on the Cowpasture River, and going to the Homestead is pretty fun too.