I am a finance and accounting professional whose true passion emerges after dark: exploring the night sky as an active amateur astronomer. A member of the Raleigh Astronomy Club since 2006, my love of space began in childhood while watching the first Space Shuttle launch and has continued to grow ever since.
Committed to sharing astronomy with the public, I earned the Astronomical League’s Master of Astronomy Outreach Award in 2014 for contributing more than 250 hours of volunteer service. I later joined the NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassadors program in 2018, expanding my work in education and community engagement.
I frequently present on topics ranging from backyard observing to space exploration and regularly support public events with museums, science centers, schools, and astronomy clubs. My current astronomical pursuits include Electronically Assisted Astronomy (EAA) and completing Astronomical League observing programs. To date I have completed the following programs:
- Astronomy Outreach (Master Level)
- Honorary Messier Program
- Binocular Messier
- Lunar Observing
- 50th Anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon Landing
I am currently working towards:
- Caldwell Observing Program (66 observed out of 72)
- Herschel 400 Observing Program (268 observed out of 400)
- Bright Nebula (71 observed out of 100)
- Urban Observing Program (59 observed out of 100)
- Comet Observing Program (7 observed out of 18)
- Hydrogen Alpha Observing Program (14 observed out of 40)
- Globular Clusters (16 observed out of 50)
- Stellar Evolution (29 observed out of 100)
- Planetary Nebula (16 observed out of 90)
You can follow me via my blog posts here on this web site, my AstroNerd Facebook page or you can get in touch with me via the Contact form on this web site.
My most recent blog posts: