I was born in the Bronx, NY, and lived there until I was 6 years old. As my younger sister, mom and dad grew up in my younger years there, it became a less safe place to raise a family, and my folks decided to move right across the Hudson River to Northern, NJ. I loved growing up in that area. The town I grew up in was a smaller town, and at young age, I fell in love with sports. Baseball was always my passion, and I remember signing my autograph multiple times while bored in class as practice for my childhood dreams of becoming a professional baseball player. I also played many years of basketball and football throughout my high school years. If it involved being outside, and sports in any way, shape, or form, I loved doing it. What I loved at such a young age was part of being a team, and I was blessed to have some great coaches along the way who instilled both excelling in the athletic world, but also at being successful in the game of life.

In my senior year of high school, and as my baseball dreams faded away, I began looking at colleges. I applied and was excepted to several schools, but fell in love and ultimately chose to attend the University Of Delaware. To make a long story short, I applied late, and the Business School that I so wanted to get into was already full. In order to get graduates out in 4 years, you had to pick a major your Freshman Year. Disappointed that the business school was filled, I asked what other major I could declare that would allow me to take business classes so I could later transfer to the business college. My advisor told me to go into the college of Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Management, as there were several business classes that I could transfer over the credits. I said to my advisor that's fine, but I don't want to do anything with either hotels or restaurants. One great thing that U of D does, is they give you a lot of work experience so that when you graduate college, you have built a resume that would make you more attractive to employers. After just my 1st semester, I realized I had a love and passion for the hospitality industry, and that this must have been fate that I've discovered this about myself. At a career fair my senior year of college, I saw Silver Diner there. It was a small company at the time with just 6 stores. I didn't know anything about Silver Diner, but growing up in the NY/NJ area, I knew diners. The moment I visited a store we used to have in Towson, MD, I fell in love with the people and the energy of the diner, and there my professional journey began.

I started as a Manager in Training in July of 1996 in Potomac Mills, VA. Shortly after certifying, I was promoted to take over as the Kitchen Manager in October of 1996, as the current kitchen manager was getting ready to open a new store in Clarendon, VA. I stayed in that role until a Service Manager position became available in the Merrifield Silver Diner in March of 1998. This allowed me to work both the Front and Heart of the House, becoming proficient in both areas of the business. In March of 1999, the Springfield Silver Diner had a vacancy to fill for an Operating Partner, and I was chosen to take over that store. I was the Operating Partner of the Springfield Silver Diner until Late 2003, and was recognized as the Operating Partner of the Year for 3 of those 4 years. However, I can undoubtedly say that I learned more with the challenges my store went through regarding the second biggest construction project in the U.S. right in the front yard of my store in the year I was not OP of the Year, than I did when I was in the other 3 years combined. Sales fell off significantly, and I had to find ways to balance the results, inspire my people, but most importantly motivate and inspire myself. You don't learn on the mountain tops of life, but in those valleys it allowed me to have a lot of self reflection about me as a leader. That year was a difficult year for me, but as I look back, it was probably the single most important year that I learned the most about myself, and if I had the choice to do it over again, I would. In January of 2004, a vacancy opened up, I was promoted to Area Director of Operations. During that time, I oversaw as few as 6, and as many as 10 of our restaurants, in addition to being part of the menu committee, company menu pricing, To Go, and Labor Systems. It's never the same day, as we all wear a lot of different hats across our company. After 7 years as an Area Director, I was promoted to Vice President of Operations in January of 2011, and officially took over that roll in June of 2011.

As I look ahead and reflect on what's kept me with the company since 1996, it comes down to one thing, and that is that we are one big family in Silver Diner. I have had the opportunity to learn and grow myself both personally and professionally, and continue to feel challenged each and every day. I look forward to making that same impact in other people's lives, and I look forward in anticipation to what the future holds as we continue to "Be the Best We Can Be".