About
Business owner, teacher, introvert, and called to service.
I'm a cast member at Walt Disney World, working as a Resort Concierge, and a student at the University of Central Florida's Rosen College of Hospitality Management, with an expected graduation in May 2027.
I’ve had a long career so far in all forms of human relations. For fifteen years I taught students in grades 2 through 7, at schools that built a strong culture involving the whole family. While helping their children learn math, I met parents who brought concern and misunderstanding to meetings. There I became a partner with the adults, helping them see I was there for their children as whole people, and that they and I were a team.
After teaching I moved into software development. While working with a team to build database applications for clients, I kept teaching, through blog posts, conference talks, and live training sessions. I work with adults learning a new skill in the tech space, and I try to be a great resource.
Now I’m a cast member at Disney’s Pop Century Resort. Whether I’m checking in guests or working in the back office to support frontline cast members, I get to enjoy the interactions between myself and guests or other cast members. I want to bring the magic Walt Disney wished for to each interaction, every shift, and do all I can to get each guest’s vacation started off right.
Many of our guests are visiting Walt Disney World for the first time. They’ve done their research, but they often still have confusion about some part of their vacation. When guests get the Disney Dining Plan for the first time, for example, they can be confused about needing a PIN to redeem Dining Plan coupons. I enjoy explaining the process, and I walk guests to the gift shop to help them get their refillable mugs and make sure they understand how the PIN confirms the transaction.
The technology background stays in the picture. When an assignment could use a web app as well as a paper, I usually built one, and that work shows up under Projects. But the tech has to serve the guests.
Strengths
Five themes that still hold true
I took the StrengthsFinder assessment a few years ago. Upon reviewing it, the five themes still hold true for me.
1
Learner
I have to continue to learn and do enjoy that.
2
Intellection
I take my time to think through things.
3
Deliberative
I take seriously what I want to spend my time on.
4
Restorative
I seek to make things right when things go awry for my guest.
5
Input
I work to find a common input from everyone.
I’m a learner, though my deliberative strength tempers that a bit. With the fast pace of learning today in the software and AI departments, I take seriously what I want to spend my time on. I take my time to think through things, I try to make relationships better, and I work to find a common input from everyone.
These strengths have helped me in my careers so far and will continue to help me. I have to continue to learn and do enjoy that. I continue to focus on one or two things to learn, forgetting other possibilities until I can return to them. And, of course, in hospitality, I seek to make things right when things go awry for my guest. Restoring guest service requires thoughtful deliberation and input from others.
In all my years of having these strengths identified, they hold true. I believe these will carry me through to work fully in hospitality in some short time.
Where I’ve worked
Three careers, one thread
December 2022 – present
Lake Buena Vista, Florida
Walt Disney World
Resort Concierge, Disney's Pop Century; Custodial, Disney's Hollywood Studios
- Maintain safety and show by keeping all guest areas clean and all elements in working order.
- Greet thirty or more guests with courtesy and excitement in the parks or at the resorts during a shift.
- Find the correct rooms for guests efficiently using resort tools and by partnering with other lines of business.
- Recover the magic when there is a break in service, or provide a magical moment, at least once a shift.
November 2021 – present
Winter Garden, Florida
Integrating Magic, LLC
Business owner, software developer, trainer
- Teach over 100 adults how to use JavaScript in their FileMaker databases.
- Maintain a community of 400 members over four years, with new content at least once a week.
- Develop websites and databases that solve clients' business problems.
January 2014 – November 2021
Denver, Colorado and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Geist Interactive and Soliant Consulting
Software developer, content producer
- Met with clients to build database systems that solve business problems.
- Presented to more than 1,000 people at conferences and user groups.
- Authored over 100 blog posts explaining techniques or inspiring others to learn something new.
August 1998 – December 2013
Denver, Colorado and Minneapolis, Minnesota
KIPP Colorado Schools and Minneapolis Public Schools
Teacher, grades 2 through 7
- Taught general education and math.
- Conducted parent conferences to communicate student progress.
- Built a culture for the classroom and the grade level, and kept students safe, happy, and able to learn.
Education
Two degrees
Bachelor of Science in Hospitality Management
Rosen College of Hospitality Management, University of Central Florida. Expected May 2027.
Related courses: Management of Guest Experience in Theme Parks; Guest Services Management I; Hospitality Information Systems; Lodging; Event Management.
Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education
North Central University, Minneapolis. 1997.
Credentials
Certificates
SafeStaff Foodhandler Training
Florida DBPR approved program
Generative AI for Students: Applications and Advice
University of Central Florida
Honor Your Knighthood: Academic Integrity
University of Central Florida, 2023
Where I’m headed
An independent B&B, and tools for people who run one
From my Career Vision Statement, written for the Lodging course in Spring 2026.
“I would never give up directly serving guests, but it might be fun to explore this kind of side hustle.”
“My main next-career path must be guest facing so I can focus on people. I’m a pretty introverted guy most of the time, but serving people in some way has always been part of who I am.”
“I need to generate ways to create the best experiences for my guests. If that includes technology, fine. But the tech has to serve the guests.”