I was born and raised in New Jersey until my family settled in Buffalo, NY when I was in 10th grade. I entered the Army right out of high school and attended The State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo for my BS, MA, and PhD. I came to UNCP directly from graduate school in 1996 and have been here since then. I have spent three summers (1997-99) as a Faculty Fellow with NASA at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, AL. I am also a commissioned officer with the United States Navy Reserves.

I try to keep a light classroom environment by injecting a fair amount of humor into my lectures. I also try to bring in as many real-world examples to make the physics relevant to our everyday lives.

I believe that UNCP is unique because of the great dedication that our faculty have to the students. My colleagues and I put the students, and their needs, first. An excellent education is to be had at UNCP for those willing to put in the effort.

I have learned that there is a very wide variety of students here at UNCP. This requires different teaching styles depending on the personality of the class and the individual students. This means you have to be prepared to adapt to a new situation each semester, as all classes are different.