Back in high school, during the last century, I took a Business Typing class—using electronic typewriters and early computers—which first sparked my interest in computer-related careers. For an essay assignment, I chose to write about Computer-Aided Drafting and Design, which led me to pursue and earn a two-year Associate’s degree in CAD with a concentration in Mechanical Design and Engineering.

After college, I spent two years working for a GIS firm before joining the City of Raleigh in 1997 as a Drafter II. Over the next 28 years, I had the opportunity to work in Public Utilities (Water and Sewer), Transportation, Right-of-Way Services, Planning and Permitting, and ultimately served as the Engineering Supervisor for the Development Review Team in Raleigh Water.

Throughout my career with the City, my focus evolved from over 20 years of plan review and permitting to policy and process management. I became a subject matter expert in permitting and computer systems, and I truly enjoyed leading, training, and helping new team members grow across various departments.

I enjoy collaborating and working as a team to make meaningful progress. I’m naturally curious and love asking questions that help me understand a project from beginning to end. Seeing the full picture allows me to support others and contribute to everyone’s success.

I’ve always appreciated opportunities for outreach and education. Sharing information, whether through presentations or everyday communication, has been incredibly fulfilling and well-received.

Reid E. was a major factor. We worked together during my time in Raleigh Transportation while he served as District Engineer. His high praise for Summit, combined with the trust I developed working with him, made the opportunity especially appealing. Later, I learned that Scott Wheeler — another colleague I enjoyed working with — was also part of the team, which made the decision even easier.

I was also drawn to the chance to experience development from the private-sector side. After spending so many years in municipal roles, this perspective feels refreshing and exciting. Even in just my first four weeks, it’s already been a fantastic experience. Everyone has been great to work with so far and I am enjoying the culture and collaboration.

One of my major areas of focus at the City was progress and process improvement. I was honored to be named Employee of the Year in Development Services in 2017 while serving as the Right-of-Way Coordinator.

I helped manage the drafting and adoption of the Raleigh Street Design Manual and the Public Utilities Design Manual.

In my final years with the City, I earned my Lean Six Sigma Black Belt and worked on several impactful initiatives.

In Transportation, I helped update residential and commercial driveway permitting to simplify scheduling and inspections.

In Raleigh Water, we improved the permitting and meter issuance process for Merger Towns and updated plan review workflows between Raleigh Water and Merger Towns using GIS for multiple plan types.

We also collaborated with Planning and Development to update policies for Sewer-Only accounts and Annexation and established a new Product Review Evaluation Committee to better evaluate and approve products across Raleigh Water divisions.

I was born in Germany and moved to the United States in 1989. I’ve lived, studied, and worked here ever since. My son now works for Raleigh Water as a Water Treatment Plant Operator—no nepotism involved!

My wife and I have been together for more than twenty years and we have a great time together. We love traveling, enjoying good food, unwinding with mindless TV, and spending time with our two fur babies.  I do enjoy music and concerts but not playing instruments though.  Unless you count air drums or air guitar.  I do not have a musical bone in my body but love seeing the bands that were around in my younger days still tour and do great shows.

I’ve completed several long-distance events, including running and triathlons, and even paid to be yelled at by Special Forces members during leadership endurance events at Ft. Bragg and beyond. It was a memorable way to grow—and occasionally cry silently.

These days, you’ll find me up at 5:00 a.m. working out, riding my bike, and trying my best to keep up with the younger crowd at the gym.