I’ve been interested in teaching and education policy for more than three decades. My background includes degrees in Political Science, Education and Operations Research (see Quantitative Course Descriptions) from MIT and UC Berkeley. I taught high school math for a few years in the 1980s and upgraded my California teaching credential in 2005 to include an Introductory Subject Matter Authorization for Mathematics which satisfies the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) “highly qualified” teacher requirements. My article, Five Math Courses To Increase Career Options, might convince some to minor in mathematics. In 1981, I wrote my education master’s essay on family choice in education. And decades later, I played a minor role in helping two of my friends create the Lewis and Clark Montessori Charter School.
In 1988, I began creating optimization models for complex domestic and cross-border tax-advantaged leveraged leases, mainly for commercial aircraft and rail equipment. Since semi-retiring in 1998, I’ve done some related work with Advantage For Analysts and Marshall Johnson. I’ve also written several personal finance articles and provided quantitative consulting to Beth Kobliner on her bestseller, Get a Financial Life.
Personal – I live in the Portland, Oregon metropolitan area. I’m straight, single and child-free. I don’t smoke, drink alcohol or misuse drugs. And I don’t have any religious or political party affiliations. In 2007, I switched from Windows XP to Ubuntu Linux.
Memberships
- Bicycle Transportation Alliance – I’ve never owned a car and the Walkscore of my address is 78 out of 100.
- US Chess Federation – I earned an Expert rating, but retired in 1983 after joining a chess tutorial database company (founder’s reference letter). I was re-certified as a Local Tournament Director in 2005 after my Senior Tournament Director certification lapsed.
- Mt. Hood Community College Dental Hygiene Program Advisory Board – I joined as a layperson member after being a patient for almost a decade.
