Born in Fairfax, Virginia, and raised in Northern Virginia, I earned a bachelor's degree in management systems from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1986. I later received a Master of Science degree in information technology from the Naval Postgraduate School. I started off as a carrier aviator in the E-2C Hawkeye; I rose quickly to serve as commanding officer of VAW-117 during Operation Ir
aqi Freedom. Eisenhower (CVN-69), USS George Washington (CVN-73), U.S. 6th Fleet Command Ship, USS Mount Whitney (LCC-20), USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) and USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) in support of Operation Inherent Resolve. I served as the commander of Carrier Strike Group 5 for a time, deploying on USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) out of Yokosuka, Japan. While in that role I took the opportunity to stress "Freedom of Navigation Operations" when his weaker allies couldn't. CVN 76 transited the South China Sea regularly in order to send a message to Beijing that the seas must be free and open. I then served as Assistant Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Operations, Plans, and Strategy. In April 2021, I was nominated for promotion to vice admiral and assignment to relieve Vice Admiral William R. Merz as commander of the United States Seventh Fleet.[9]
In March 2023, I was nominated for assignment as the deputy chief of naval operations for information warfare and Director of Naval Intelligence.
