A book titled Snakes of the World obtained at a 1st grade book fair ignited my lifelong fascination for science and herpetology. I earned graduate degrees in biology allowed me to study and write about the evolution and ecology of venomous snakes. These endeavors took me to Ethiopia in search of the poorly known venomous viper called the Ethiopian Mountain Adder and I had the opportunity to complete a multi-year study of Timber Rattlesnakes inhabiting an agricultural area of Missouri. During this same time, I became into an enthusiastic educator teaching a variety of university labs such as Biology, Human Physiology, Human Anatomy, Herpetology, Vertebrate Natural History, and Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy.
After earning my PhD at the University of Arkansas, I worked as a manager in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s National Wildlife Refuge System. I served as the Deputy Project Leader for Ruby Lake National Wildlife in northeast Nevada, and later as the Project Leader for the North Platte/Crescent Lake National Wildlife Refuge Complex in the Nebraska sandhills. Those duty stations were two of the most remote in the lower 48.
I greatly enjoyed the nearly six years I spent living in a vast and expansive wilderness among the wildlife. Nevertheless, a return to civilization, academia, and northwest Arkansas would soon be in order when I was presented with a new opportunity and challenge.
In August 2015, a new campus of a local college preparatory charter school opened its doors in Bentonville with Rod serving as headmaster. During his eight-year tenure, he worked to promote a culture where students felt supported and inspired to pursue their interests and highest ambitions.
My wife Sara and I have a daughter Charley, 13 and a son Reed, 10.
It is very exciting to join the talented team of educators at the School for Advanced Studies
