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Workshops

The 2008 APH conference will feature thirty 90-minute workshops presented in six sessions. Participants may choose to attend one of five workshops during each session. Though a few workshops are noted as Basic (for those new to the personal history business), the majority of these presentations will be valuable to interested participants at any level of experience. An asterisk (*) following the title denotes that the workshop will not be recorded.

If you are presenting a workshop or seminar, you can view your class list here.

Thursday, October 30, 2008   Business and Products Crossroads

Concurrent Workshops - Session 1 (10:00 AM-11:30 AM)

1A:  Working with Subcontractors in Video
Finding, Managing Subcontractors/Vendors

Professional film production companies employ teams of specialists to complete their projects, yet many of us video historians try to do it all alone. This workshop defines the roles various subcontractors play and explores when, why, and how to employ them on your projects within your budget. Learn to use the expertise of freelance editors, camera persons, sound persons, and makeup artists as well as equipment or service vendors and rental houses to elevate your project’s quality and efficiency.

• Presenter:  Jane Baxter, APH Conference Program Manager in 2007, has spent nearly twenty years working in various capacities on feature films, commercials, music videos, and corporate events. Her broad, solid foundation of production knowledge and experience is fulfilling, yet her lifelong affinity for listening makes personal history capture via her company, Roots & Branches Productions, her labor of love. Jane earned her bachelors degree in Journalism from the University of Georgia-Athens in 1988.

1B:  Put Life into Writing Workshops
Creating Jaw-Dropping Experiences

The journey began in my classroom with a nun, a former prostitute, a woman who used to visit her mother in the "snake pit" (insane asylum), and a mother whose son had killed a priest and two workers 25 years earlier. This workshop will illustrate the power of life-writing to heal and connect diverse people at crossroads in their lives. Attendees also will benefit from various teaching aids, including resource lists or bibliographies, methods for making students comfortable with the life-writing process and for handling difficult situations in the classroom, and much more.

• Presenter:  Susan T. Hessel, a newspaper reporter turned freelance writer turned personal historian, has added teacher and learner to her biography. She teaches these classes with a mixture of humor, humility, and experience, bringing together people of diverse backgrounds who return again and again.

1C:  Anatomy of a Culinary Memoir
Developing a Niche Product

Follow two APH members through their experience collaborating to develop a niche product—a culinary memoir. Four aspects of the process will be covered: 1) defining the product—what it is, what it isn’t; 2) clarifying the work process—how to deliver a quality product profitably; 3) targeting the market—who it is and how to reach it; and 4) working together collaboratively—pearls and pitfalls.

• Presenter:  Judith Kolva, Ph.D., is the founder and owner of Memoir Shoppe. An APH member since 2001, she worked on the APH Anthology Committee in 2007. Her doctoral work focused on how older adults discover meaning in life through telling life stories. Judith works in print media with services including memoirs and oral histories.

• 2nd Presenter: cj Madigan has over 20 years experience in graphic design and print production. cj Madigan attended her first APH conference in 2006 and has focused her business, Shoebox Scanning & Design in Vero Beach, Florida, on turning manuscripts into masterpieces, working exclusively with personal historians and private publishers. She also is a graphic designer for APH.

1D:  When Creativity Meets Reality
A Business Plan for Personal Historians

As writers, filmmakers, editors, and interviewers, we use our right brain to capture compelling life stories, design beautiful books, and create entertaining videos. However, we still have to run a business. The services in our new and exciting field are unique. They don't fit the mold for most boilerplate business plans, which are designed for selling a product, for offering a commonly known service, or for opening a franchise. Taylor will share her detailed outline for writing a business plan for entrepreneurs in the multi-faceted personal historian industry.

• Presenter:  Taylor Whitney founded Preserving The Past, LLC, in Los Angeles in 1997. She holds a master's degree in Photographic Preservation and Collections Management and has a background in film preservation. With clients worldwide, her company specializes in archiving private photographic and film collections and has offices in Los Angeles, Rochester, New York, and Toronto, Canada. www.preservethepast.com.

1E:  Keep Projects Under Control
Managing Clients and Workflow

A small business owner must demonstrate many skills and manage a variety of tasks. This workshop will provide ideas and tools for project planning, client communications, and workflow organization. We will also discuss disorganization and confusion, and how they are most likely to occur. Bring your ideas and experiences for the discussion. Our goal is to help participants plan projects more effectively and carry them out more smoothly.

• Presenter:  Linda Coffin, APH Print Communications Director, has been a graphic designer for more than 25 years, working for the most part with small businesses and nonprofit organizations. In 2004, she founded HistoryCrafters, a business combining her graphic design background with her love of genealogy, storytelling, and history. Linda will convene and moderate a panel of experienced personal historians and digital publishing entrepreneurs.

Concurrent Workshops - Session 2 (1:45 PM-3:15 PM)

2A:  Edit, Schmedit...21 Ways
To improve your writing and bottom line

Are your personal histories marred by errors your readers will notice? Choose an editor's hat and find out. Have fun with in-class exercises, learn what level of editing you might need help on, and how or whether you can spot and fix common writing problems. By the time you leave, you'll discover how much you know or need to learn, whether you have a good eye for style, consistency, etc., and whether you should work with a professional editor or proofreader. Learn the differences between structural editing, line editing, copy editing, proofreading, and more. Test your instincts on copyright issues. Warning: some time will be spent laughing.

• Presenter:  Pat McNees was an editor in book publishing for eight years (Harper & Row; Fawcett) before launching a decades-long career as a book doctor, author, and editor, as well as a journalist (freelance, Washington Post) and personal historian. Her editing clients include NIH, the World Bank, and St. Martin’s Press. She has edited and overseen production on dozens of books, including several anthologies. The Library of Congress asked permission to use her copyright quiz.

2B:  If Ken Burns can do it... *
Visual Storytelling Techniques for Video

Are you a video biographer at a creative crossroads, wondering how to lend greater production values to your basic "talking head" video biographies? Learn how in this fun, informative, and interactive workshop. We'll look at sample video biographies and documentaries and analyze their use of visuals, music, sound effects, and pacing. We'll see how they help to tell the story and how you can use the same techniques to bring your clients' stories to life.

• Presenter:  Steve Pender has been writing, editing, producing, and directing video and multimedia programs for business, corporate, and not-for-profit clients for over 29 years. In 1998, Steve created a documentary featuring his grandmother and discovered his passion for video biographies. He founded Family Legacy Video, Inc., in Tucson, Arizona, and wrote the Family Legacy Video Producer’s Guide on CD-ROM to demystify the production process. Steve also conducts do-it-yourself video biography workshops and offers complete video biography production services.

2C:  Create and Manage Your Own Website
Showcase Your Services

Today, just about everyone in business is expected to have a website. Personal historians need a website to showcase their services, their process, and to display samples of their work to its best advantage. Learn to create and manage your own website–-one fully featured with a home page, FAQs, product pages, galleries, links, and more. We’ll cover the planning process first and then build a website using templates and other software offered by various web hosts at little or no cost. Building and maintaining a website is easier than you think.

• Presenter:  Mary Breakstone had a 30-year career in building computer systems before she and her husband, Bob, co-founded Our Living Tree and embarked on a journey to become personal historians. Mary is a prior board member and currently serves as the webmaster for APH.

2D:  Get Some Attention
Grow Your Business via Local Action

What can we do, individually or in small groups, to raise awareness of personal history services, increase our professional networks, and attract new clients? As APH membership has grown, so has our ability to work together. Sarah White will convene this interactive panel of APH “activists” who have organized workshops and participated in local events. They will explore the benefits of public outreach in promoting personal history practices and inspire attendees to develop programs that will benefit their communities and help generate new business.

• Presenter:  Sarah White now serves as Regions Chair after a term as Marketing Chair (2004-2006). Prior to starting her personal history practice, she consulted on advertising and marketing. Her company, First Person Productions, helps individuals record their life stories through workshops, community projects, and one-to-one service.

2E:  Working Effectively with Elders *
It is more than writing

After helping more than 250 elders write and publish their life stories, this writer will share benefits and risks observed in the process. Characteristics common to the elderly cohort will be discussed and demonstrated. Participants in this session will be challenged to provide solutions to problem issues, based on actual case studies of working with elders in the life review process. Learn to identify benefits and risks for the elders and for the personal historian.

• Presenter:  Mary O'Brien Tyrrell founded Memoirs, Inc., in St. Paul, Minnesota, in 1994 and began assisting elders to publish their life stories in limited edition, hardcover books. Her company has been featured in the Wall Street Journal and Kiplinger’s Retirement Report. Mary's article, “Memoirist of Ordinary, Yet Extraordinary Elders,” appeared in Generations: The Journal of the American Society on Aging and was the first professional gerontology literature to describe this burgeoning industry.

Concurrent Workshops - Session 3 (3:45 PM-5:15 PM)

3A:  Lighting & Composing for Dummies
Five Steps to a Great Look

Achieving a nice look for an interview isn't rocket science. It's simply applying a few basic rules of geometry and physics, such as where to place the subject, how to use whatever lighting tools you have (from a Chimera soft light to Reynolds Wrap), and composing to get the best possible look within the space and time you have. In this interactive session, you will learn how to dramatically improve a subject's on-camera appearance by using techniques like depth-of-field to emphasize, soft key light, hair light, white card for fill, black wrap for spillover, and how to frame, as well as how to arrange the subject and objects within a frame.

• Presenter:  Rob Cooper has produced documentaries for PBS, businesses, and individuals. With over 30 years experience shooting and editing, he has developed a simple but effective lighting style from working as a producer with skilled videographers at WBZ-TV in Boston and in corporate productions. A winner of the Cine International Golden Eagle for a PBS special on the Delta Blues with B.B. King, Rob also has taught video production at the Graduate School of Instructional Design at the University of Massachusetts-Boston.

• 2nd Presenter: Pam Pacelli is an APH member with years of experience in video and as a family therapist and oral historian. She has worked with her husband, Rob Cooper, on documentary films for PBS and others.

3B:  Digital Audio Basics
From Recording to CD

Most of what you always wanted or needed to know about recording good digital audio, whether preserving interviews for accurate transcriptions or archival quality oral histories. Recommended digital recorders, microphones, hardware, and software for the professional personal historian. What kinds of microphones work best and how to use them. Methods for copying audio files from a recorder to a computer. Why edit your audio recording and how? Burning quality CDs to last. Attendees will learn all this and more.

• Presenter:  Peter Farquhar pioneered the digital archiving of historical materials in association with the Regional Oral History Office, The Bancroft Library, U.C. Berkeley, in 1992. He founded his company, TomboMedia, in San Francisco in1993. Peter conducts workshops on the recording and digital archiving of family history and produces printed family histories, including digitally archived images, text documents, and audio/video recordings. He is editor of the Thacher School Historical Society Oral History Project’s Alumni Interviews and recently completed an award-winning biography of Edward E. Eyre, California Pioneer.

3C:  Book Design Tips and Tricks
Defining Layout and Production Options

From manuscript to finished book, Shaputis will show tips and tricks for a great looking book. Topics will include "One Size Does Not Fit All;" "People Do Judge a Book by Its Cover;" "Fonts: Friends or Foes?;" "To ISBN or Not ISBN;" and "Spines: The Stepchild of Cover Design." Increase your understanding of design layout and production needs for a quality book.

• Presenter:  Kathleen Shaputis, published author, ghostwriter, and speaker, works full time for Gorham Printing, a short-run book printer. She speaks on writing, marketing, book printing and publishing at community colleges, libraries, and West Coast writers' conferences. Kathleen lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, Bob.

3D:  Recipe for Success
In the Personal History Book Business

This class will offer strategies and insights to drive your personal history practice to a real business. Learn how to develop a successful business model to achieve sustained growth and how to address the aspects of consistent growth: organization, communication, marketing and selling. Review your "product" concept. Change your perspective from single player to multi-player in a value-adding chain. Discover how to operate more effectively while improving your image and expanding your horizons.

• Presenter:  Eduardo Zemborain holds two degrees (Master in Architecture and MBA) and is a former partner of the prestigious architect’s firm ASZ in Argentina. He is the founder and CEO of My Special Book, a thriving publishing company that was awarded first prize in the IAE Business School, 2006 New Entrepreneurial Adventures Competition. APH member Eduardo and his wife, Vicky, live in San Isidro, Argentina, with their four children.

3E:  PH as a Business
The Business of Running a Business

Taking your personal history practice to the next level -- that of a real business -- requires addressing a number of administrative, operational, and 'legal' issues. Will you be a DBA, a sole proprietor, or an LLC? Why? Will you need EINs, licenses, and permits? Learn about the need for separate bank accounts and for keeping a real set of books for tax purposes. Discover how and which software to use, whether or not to get a 'company' credit card, and much more. If you believe in what you're doing, plan for success.

• Presenter:  Bob Breakstone has been a consultant to small businesses for over 15 years. As director of operations and administration at ABC, he helped develop numerous start-up businesses and spinoffs for the company. He holds an MBA from Columbia University.

Friday, October 31, 2008   Historical Crossroads

Concurrent Workshops - Session 4 (10:00 AM-11:30 AM)

4A:  The Song of Work
A History of American Laborers

An overview of the history of American workers through the median of folk music and poetry, and how this type social and oral history can enhance a personal history project. Walsh will explore the lives of working class people and their strategies of survival over the last two centuries. Participants will be asked to share related stories that have lived in their own family history, connecting the stories to a larger historical context.

• Presenter:  James Walsh teaches Immigration History, Irish American History, and Oral History at the University of Colorado at Denver. He completed his undergraduate work at Duke University and his graduate work at the University of Colorado at Boulder. He specializes in teaching history through oral tradition—“history from below.” Gabriela Flora, James' wife, works with Project Voice through the American Friends Service Committee. She is a nationally known immigrant rights advocate who develops networks of political, economic, and cultural support for immigrant families.

4B:  Public Speaking Gigs
Personal Historians Speak

Many personal historians use public speaking as a marketing tool. However, we seldom have an opportunity to hear each other's speeches. This workshop will offer participants an opportunity to hear snippets of typical personal history speeches followed by feedback and questions. Several APH members from different backgrounds and who do personal history work using various media will hone their speaking skills while other workshop attendees observe and learn.

• Presenter:  Gloria Nussbaum, owner and founder of Real to Reel in Beaverton, Oregon, works in audio format because she is passionate about preserving the actual VOICE of her clients when recording their stories. She has been an APH member since 2001 and served as membership director on the APH Board for four years.

4C:  Building Community with Healing Stories

A panel discussion led by board members of Story Keepers--a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting and preserving oral and written histories. The panelists will describe this small grassroots organization impacted studies on end-of-life and healing, and they will attest to the therapeutic power of Story Keepers' Listening to Patients program in a dialysis ward, story circles for residents in assisted living homes, caregivers, and various other activities. Attendees will learn about the healing power of story and be encouraged to start similar groups in their own communities.

• Presenter:  Judy Wright is a noted author of more than twenty books, a life educator, and an international speaker. Her workshops, books, and articles are empowering and filled with interaction and laughter. Judy also is a parent educator, family coach, and personal historian.

• 2nd Presenter: Susie Risho is a member of the board of directors of StoryKeepers, a nonprofit organization in Missoula, Montana, dedicated to promoting and preserving oral and written histories.

• 3rd Presenter: Michele Wheeler is a member of the board of directors of StoryKeepers, a nonprofit organization in Missoula, Montana, dedicated to promoting and preserving oral and written histories.

4D:  Psychologically Challenging Clients
How Personal Historians Work Effectively

Many challenges we encounter in working with clients stem from their psychological issues. Examples include depression, shame, guilt, alcoholism, PTSD, memory loss, and personality disorders. I will select a few of these problems, describe the challenges they may pose in personal history projects, and suggest approaches to handling them effectively so that the story can be completed successfully. Using examples from my own experience and the audience, we will discuss discernment of whether a project is appropriate at a particular time and what special skills it might require of the personal historian.

• Presenter:  Peg Thompson, PhD, is a licensed psychologist with 30 years of experience. She specializes in depression, PTSD, personality disorders, and spiritual/religious issues. Peg is also a trained interdenominational spiritual companion/spiritual director, who for many years, as a trainer and consultant, has assisted spiritual directors to gain expertise in psychology. She has been writing personal histories part-time for 5 years.

4E:  Stories from the Attic
Waiting to be Told

This interactive workshop is designed to help others discover personal motivators while exploring ways to incorporate scrapbooks, journals, photographs, and other story-telling artifacts into story ideas. Ersula will discuss how she developed her personal history, as well as the importance of genealogy. She'll share simple techniques for getting started and explore where they can lead. Attendees will discover ways to capture stories deep within the fabric of the artifacts already in their possession. Experience a show-and-tell of examples reaching back over 100 years.

• Presenter:  Ersula Odom is an author, essayist, motivational speaker, and prize-winning lyricist. She produced "At Sula’s Feet," a collection of treasured memories of her grandmother and rural living. The audio version includes a recording of her grandmother she made some 35 years ago. Ersula is a FHC Mary McLeod Bethune Road Scholar and serves as Online Communications Chair on the APH Board.

Saturday, November 01, 2008   Crossroads at the Heart of the Story

Concurrent Workshops - Session 5 (8:00 AM-9:30 AM)

5A:  Professional Video Biographies
A Live Personal History Interview

See a live demonstration of professional techniques used to capture world-class video biography interviews. Using a volunteer from the audience,RJ McHatton will demonstrate and capture a video biography interview. He will utilize television monitors tied to the video camera so the audience will experience the emotion and touching personal story of a real person as he or she is interviewed.

• Presenter:  RJ McHatton is an award-winning filmmaker, published author, and aspiring artist from the Seattle area. He has been creating custom video biographies for over 10 years. His company, Inventive Productions LLC, is a leading producer of custom video biographies and corporate history DVDs. RJ and Inventive Productions have over 40 video biography projects in various stages of production.

5B:  Publishing in a Digital World
Options and Choices

The world of printing has changed dramatically in recent years as online and print-on-demand technology has exploded. Writers now have many options for printing their projects, but they also have to find their way through the maze of new technologies in order to make good choices. This panel discussion will provide an overview of offset, online, handmade, and print-on-demand technologies. The audience will enjoy this opportunity to hear answers from veteran APH colleagues and other experts in digital publishing.

• Presenter:  Linda Coffin, APH Print Communications Director, has been a graphic designer for more than 25 years, working for the most part with small businesses and nonprofit organizations. In 2004, she founded HistoryCrafters, a business combining her graphic design background with her love of genealogy, storytelling, and history. Linda will convene and moderate a panel of experienced personal historians and digital publishing entrepreneurs.

5C:  Sensory and Sensitive Interviews
Professional Techniques

Learn the secrets behind powerful interviews from a professional personal historian and radio host. This class will focus on using sensorial questions, psychological interviewing techniques, and improved historical research to make personal interviews more productive and well rounded. Participants will develop better techniques for acquiring the most holistic view of the interviewee.

• Presenter:  Mary Slawson, a forensic accountant, professional genealogist, and author of "Getting It Right: The Definitive Guide to Recording Family History Accurately," is a woman of varied interests and skills. A member of APH and NEHGS, she is co-founder of the Irish Historical and Genealogical Society, and she is an Irish Medieval Specialist in the Medieval History Department of the Family History Library. Mary also serves as co-host of "Relatively Speaking," a program on KSL Radio.

5D:  Turn Mega History into Personal History
Mrs. Tulloch and WWI

The Tullochs of La Crosse, Wisconsin, sailed on the last completed journey of the Lusitania in 1915. Imagine the trouble Mr. Tulloch was in when the Lusitania sank and his wife reminded him that she had told him to book "under the Stars and Stripes," not a British vessel. Even a city's mega history is composed of such tidbits. In this class, learn to identify the components of a large history project, brainstorm ways to tell a mega story in a personal way, tell of major historical events through personal experiences rather than strictly academic accounts, and more.

• Presenter:  Susan T. Hessel, a newspaper reporter turned freelance writer turned personal historian, has added teacher and learner to her biography. She teaches these classes with a mixture of humor, humility, and experience, bringing together people of diverse backgrounds who return again and again.

5E:  Stories Without Borders
Histories of Undocumented Americans

Jim Walsh and Gabriela Flora will discuss the historical roots of immigration today, exploring the lives of undocumented immigrants through storytelling. Using several narratives, they will attempt to place a human face on immigration and challenge some of the negative myths in our society. The workshop will also include a summary of the immigrant rights movement, and the facilitators will explain the role that personal historians may choose to play in this struggle.

• Presenter:  James Walsh teaches Immigration History, Irish American History, and Oral History at the University of Colorado at Denver. He completed his undergraduate work at Duke University and his graduate work at the University of Colorado at Boulder. He specializes in teaching history through oral tradition—“history from below.” Gabriela Flora, James' wife, works with Project Voice through the American Friends Service Committee. She is a nationally known immigrant rights advocate who develops networks of political, economic, and cultural support for immigrant families.

• 2nd Presenter: Gabriela Flora is the Project Voice coordinator for the American Friends Service Committee in Denver, Colorado. She coordinates actions and develops networks in support of immigrant rights issues throughout the state

Concurrent Workshops - Session 6 (10:00 AM-11:30 AM)

6A:  From Shoeboxes to Show Books
Personal Histories People Will Read

Beginning personal historians are often passionate about life-story writing but uncertain how to actually get a project done. Amy will provide an overview of the process, from organizing materials found in shoeboxes to doing interviews, writing, editing, scanning, and creating a beautiful heirloom personal history that a family will read, use, and cherish for generations. Many methods, processes, and illustrations will be given in this interactive class. Attendees will leave with confidence that they can take a project from concept through production.

• Presenter:  Amy Oaks Long, owner of Old Willow Personal History and PersonalHistoryHelp.com, taught Family History at Brigham Young University for 14 years. She has been a personal historian for 19 years and serves as a personal historian team leader with FamilyLearn. A frequent lecturer on beginning genealogy and personal and family history writing, Amy is also the author of the how-to book, "From Shoeboxes to Books: Writing Great Personal Histories."

6B:  Become the Community Expert
Pivotal Teaching Tools for Life-Writers

Having successfully taught life-writing classes for many years, Judy will provide agendas, sample flyers, advertisements, and descriptions for a 6-session course, a 10-session course, and a weekend retreat. You will also receive tips for leading through discussion and sample writing practices to help your students anchor a timeline. Attendees will participate in an effective exercise to identify the pivotal people and places encountered along life's journey. As an instructor of life-writing classes in your community, you will be able to help your students discover the who, what, when, and how of their story, and then move it into a narrative or memoir.

• Presenter:  Judy Wright is a noted author of more than twenty books, a life educator, and an international speaker. Her workshops, books, and articles are empowering and filled with interaction and laughter. Judy also is a parent educator, family coach, and personal historian.

6C:  Flesh on the Bones *
Put Ancestors In Historical Perspective

After gathering the names, dates, and facts about ancestors, you may want to reconstruct their lives by placing them into their historical time period. This presentation focuses on the type of research that is necessary to accomplish this task, the sources that will yield the historical information you need, and the key to blending genealogical research with relevant social history events.

• Presenter:  Sharon DeBartolo Carmack is a certified genealogist and partner at Warren, Carmack & Associates in Salt Lake City. The author of sixteen books and hundreds of articles about genealogy, she was the executive editor of F+W Publication’s Family Tree/Betterway Books line. Sharon has a B.A. in English from Regis University and a diploma in Irish Studies from the National University of Ireland, Galway. She teaches nonfiction writing classes for WritersOnlineWorkshops.com and is the host of "Roots Books" on RootsTelevision.com.

6D:  Preservation Methods II
Archiving Options for Photos and Film

As personal historians, we work with a lot of photographs, home movies, and memorabilia. Elaborating on her 2007 APH workshop in Nashville, Taylor Whitney will review the history of photography and home movies, discuss the leading causes of photographic and film deterioration, and offer best practice methods in the organization and housing of original elements, while offering alternatives for archival materials and storage that help to slow the deterioration process. Participants will have a chance to experience the fragility of tangible elements and learn to identify common symptoms of deterioration.

• Presenter:  Taylor Whitney founded Preserving The Past, LLC, in Los Angeles in 1997. She holds a master's degree in Photographic Preservation and Collections Management and has a background in film preservation. With clients worldwide, her company specializes in archiving private photographic and film collections and has offices in Los Angeles, Rochester, New York, and Toronto, Canada. www.preservethepast.com.

6E:  Pricing Models for Personal Histories *
Increasing Revenue Potential

Pricing your services is one of the most important decisions you make. It affects your revenue potential, but it is determined by a number of factors outside your control. This session will explore different pricing models, such as mark-up pricing, value-based pricing, bundled pricing and penetration pricing. Participants will increase their business knowledge and learn how to apply these pricing models to personal history projects.

• Presenter:  Don Atwater served as chief executive for a Southern California technology company, the chief financial officer of an international value-added software company, a principal in the Human Resources and Compensation practice at William M. Mercer, and a director and cofounder of several startup companies. He teaches economics in the MBA program at Pepperdine University.