Biography

I have spent more than 23 years in higher education leadership and music education, which has given me plenty of time to accumulate titles, conduct concerts, attend meetings, and remind people that conducting is, in fact, a serious profession. Along the way, I led collegiate choral programs presenting roughly 30 concerts a year, ensuring there was rarely a shortage of rehearsals, performances, or opportunities for everyone to admire the conductor.

During my career, I conducted more than 30 recordings with the William Jessup University Choir & Orchestra, covering classical, sacred, and contemporary music. Apparently an ordinary recording studio would not do, so I took my ensembles to places such as Abbey Road Studios in London, Skywalker Sound, and Sony Pictures Studios. I also led concert tours throughout the United States and Europe, including performances in England, Belgium, and France, because nothing says collegiate music education quite like collecting passport stamps.

I have also served as a guest conductor for regional honor choirs and orchestras, including multiple Association of Christian Schools International Musicale festivals and the ACSI Honor Symphony. Over the years, I became a conductor, clinician, and mentor, while also becoming highly skilled at explaining why one more rehearsal was absolutely necessary.

In 2026, the California State Assembly recognized me for more than 23 years of service to students and academic leadership. My career included faculty positions, administrative leadership, student mentoring, and enough committee involvement to satisfy the traditional requirements of higher education bureaucracy. I worked with students as musicians, educators, and servant leaders, preferably while they arrived at rehearsal on time.

I earned a Bachelor of Arts in Music with an emphasis in Music Theory and a Master of Arts in Music with an emphasis in Choral Conducting from Azusa Pacific University. Apparently deciding that two music degrees were not enough, I continued on to earn a Doctor of Musical Arts in Choral Conducting from the University of Nevada, Reno, officially securing the academic credentials necessary to wave my arms professionally.