Hometown/Sending School
Sulphur Rock, Ark. Sulphur Rock High School. The school I attended before ASMSA only had 20 students in my 10th grade.
College and Area(s) of Study
Purdue University, B.S. Management, with a minor in International Business & Economics
Indiana University, M.S. Finance
Indiana University, Master of Business Administration
Current Profession and Company
Business Integration Executive, Bank of America
As many people may remember, Bank of America acquired Merrill Lynch in 2008. The combination of these two firms was the opportunity to create an integrated, one-stop-shop financial services company, offering banking, wealth management and financial planning to clients at all levels of wealth. I lead a team that manages and executes the cross line of business referral programs for the firm’s clients and prospects across our different lines of business, including wealth management, commercial banking, investment banking, global markets, and consumer banking. Even 15 years later, there remains so much opportunity to deliver for our clients leveraging our extensive capabilities. The role allows me to use a broad set of skills, including strategy, finance, accounting, sales, project management, and marketing. No day is the same, which keeps it interesting and fun.
What made you choose ASMSA?
I really have to credit my mother for encouraging me to consider ASMSA. Having grown up in a very small town (population 200), opportunities were limited, and I wasn’t exposed to anywhere near the educational resources as ASMSA. Keep in mind that this was 1995—I was in the third graduating class. Things were so different back then because it was all so new. It was the first time I had ever had an email account!
While academics were important to me, so was athletics. Being able to play competitive basketball through Hot Springs High School made the decision easier. The hours were intense—I was at the gym by 6 a.m. every day. And it was a unique experience to play on a team where I didn’t actually attend the school. But I loved every minute and still have the ring from when we won the State Championship my senior year.
What are your fondest memories of the school?
How much time do I have? I could write a book just on this one question.
First and foremost, some of my best friends today were people I met on my first day at the school. We’ve known each other for 26 years—through college, marriages, kids, (some divorces), careers, the passing of our parents, COVID, and just life—and we are all still so close, and I have ASMSA to thank for that. I just want to put a plug in for Andy Cirelli. I might not have made it though life without him, but he probably wouldn’t have passed French without me. Decades later, we still talk every week. During COVID, and every week since, Andy and I FaceTime to watch football games together! Just last month, I took my daughter skiing in Colorado with Bonnie Hernandez, my ASMSA roommate from my senior year.
Other memories? Tuesday night math lab with my TI-82. The smell of microwave ramen on the 5th floor. The 2nd floor bridge between the residential and academic buildings. Talking to the guys at the double doors because it was past floor curfew. Donna Hutchinson, the greatest humanities teacher ever, who was one of the first teachers who challenged me to think critically. All-you-can-eat pizza buffet at CiCi’s pizza. DolphinStock. Coffee House. The marine biology field trip. Midnight fire drills in the hotel lobby down the street. Checking out of school to hang out in the park. Maybe skipping a class or two for horse racing at Oaklawn. Science Fair. Senior Thesis. The excitement of coming back to campus on Sunday afternoons and seeing everyone after the weekend home.
What do you feel was the most important thing that you learned?
Life is all about the people in it. And it goes faster than you think.