Meet Our New H2Ozarks Program Director!
Me and my wife, Lynne, both grew up in St. Joseph, Missouri, attended Central High School and started dating in 1981. During that time, we would often come to Table Rock Lake and visit Lynne’s grandparents who taught me the art of flyfishing. In 2016, we moved to Kimberling City into the very house Lynne’s grandparents built in 1974.
Before Kimberling City, Lynne and I both attended the University of Missouri – Columbia. After graduation, we moved to St. Louis and were married in 1988. I spent over 30 years in the private sector as director of operations for several marketing companies in the St. Louis area. I directed staffs ranging from 100-800 employees and budgets of over $60,000,000. Lynne spent over 30 years teaching in the Rockwood School District, earning two “Teacher-of-the-Year” awards at two different schools. We share two children, Bennett, a bio-scientist for Bayer in St. Louis, and Claire, a graphic/media designer for Red Edge, LLC in Arlington, VA.
In 2016, when we moved to Table Rock Lake, I became the city administrator for the City of Kimberling City, and Lynne took a position as an English Composition professor at the College of the Ozarks. As the city administrator, I created the first city newsletter, obtained easements from MoDOT to erect new city monument signs, lead the charge for the development of a parks system, and stabilized the city budget. I earned my certification as a certified Municipal Official through the Missouri Municipal League. I also served on the Executive Board for SMCOG (Southwest Missouri Council of Governments), and was a Stone County representative for the SMCOG Traffic Advisory Council. I continue to serve on the Executive Board for SMCOG.
My love and passion for the outdoors and fishing brought me to H2Ozarks this year. Having received instruction and supplies for trout fishing from Lynne’s grandfather, I became an avid fly fisherman, teaching anyone interested in the sport. I spent 12 years teaching youth fishing for the Missouri Department of Conservation. I was also a Boy Scout merit badge counselor for fishing and flyfishing, and remain a member of flyfishing group at a church in St. Louis, Flyfishers at the Crossing. Since 2018, I have been a fishing guide at Dogwood Canyon Nature Park. In my spare time, I enjoy tying my own flies and traveling to fish trout streams across the nation and the Missouri home waters of Crane Creek, Lake Taneycomo, Roaring River, and various other rivers and streams. Protecting these waters, the fish, and other wildlife that inhabit these areas is the main goal of H2Ozarks, and that is why I love working here.
