I was 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 Operat
ion Iraqi 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 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. In March 2023, I was nominated for assignment as the deputy chief of naval operations for information warfare and Director of Naval Intelligence.
