I received his first amateur radio license as a Technician in 1989 and am a founding Member of the Macoupin County Amateur Radio Club, in Carlinville Illinois which received its ARRL Charter on August 4, 1992.
I was a GIrard Fire Department firefighter Emergency Medical Technician for 22 years before going to work for Macoupin County as its County Emergency Manager.
I am a past Regional Vice President of the National Association of Emergency Managers and a past president of the Illinois Emergency Services Management Association.
I also served as secretary of the Federal Communications Commission's Regional Conformance and Review Committee for 15 years and in a forward command post with the Illinois Emergency Services Disaster Agency in Alton Illinois during the Great Flood of 1993, coordinating operations with the Alton Water Distribution System after the American Water Company lost its water intake building because of the flood.
I assisted the Federal Emergency Management Agency after Hurricane Ivan in Atlanta Georgia and New York City in its recovery operations after Hurricane Sandy.
I retired from full time employment January 1, 2020 after 32 years, working at the Illinois Section level and with the AUXCOMM team that works out of NC9IL for IEMA in Springfield