I was invited to a White House Christmas party for members of the press in 2009, where I got to meet the president and First Lady.

A career highlight: Seven recipients of the Congressional Medal of Honor gather for a photo during the Commander in Chief's Inaugural Ball at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C., on January 20, 2009. Pictured at top from left to right: Command Sgt. Maj. Robert Martin Patterson, US Army; Capt. Thomas Gunning Kelley, US Navy; Lt. Col. Alfred V. Rascon, US Army Reconnaissance Platoon; Sgt. Sammy L. Davis, US Army (and the original inspiration for the character "Forrest Gump"); Bottom row: Col. Jack Jacobs, US Army; MSgt. John F. Baker, Jr., US Army (deceased); and Capt. Paul W. Bucha, US Army. All were awarded the Medal of Honor for actions during the Vietnam War.

I interviewed the late Bill Richardson several times, the first in 2000 when he was running for governor of New Mexico.

About me

I’ve been a journalist all my life. At age 14, I became a stringer for the local newspaper in my hometown. When I was in college, I bought the paper and became the youngest newspaper publisher in America at the time. I worked my way up to the top of my profession — a managing editor at a national newspaper — and became an accomplished photojournalist and designer.

After nearly two decades in journalism, I was burned out and ready for a change.

I left newspapers to become an artist and teacher. I have more than a decade of experience in a college classroom, first teaching design and photography at The Art Institute, then eventually teaching journalism at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University.

I design books for ECO Publishing, a boutique scientific press in the desert Southwest, and I am a freelance sports and portrait photographer. I’m also an associate producer for The Roseanne Barr Podcast.

My portfolio and CV. Click on an image to enlarge.