Born in Baltimore, Maryland in 1953. Attended Lada Lee Tall Elementary School at Towson State Teachers College. High School Diploma from Towson H.S. Received a B.S in Dairy Science from the University of Maryland in 1975. Married Melissa Traub in 1977. Have two grown daughters. Started with the Farmers Home Administration in 1977 and became County Supervisor for Baltimore and Harford Counties in 1980. Transferred to Las Animas, Colorado as C/S of Bent County. Transferred to Phoenix, Arizona in 1992 and became a Certified General Real Estate Appraiser in 1994. Retired from the Farm Service Agency in 2016.