Building Systems That Help People Do Their Best Work

Developing people has always been the most energizing part of my work.

I’ve done it in engineering laboratories, in K–12 classrooms, in university settings, and at my own kitchen table with my kids. Whether working with engineers, C-level leaders, ministry officials, faculty, students, or community organizations, I am most engaged when a group is wrestling with something meaningful and leaves better equipped to move forward on its own.

I don’t arrive with prefabricated answers. I bring structured tools, disciplined design processes, and the perspective of someone who has built complex systems in multiple contexts. My role is to help teams clarify their environment, surface the expertise already in the room, and build approaches they can continue to use independently.

Over the years, I’ve worked alongside engineers, scientists, managers, nonprofit leaders, chambers of commerce, national ministry officials, and diverse educational communities across the United States and internationally. Those experiences have reinforced a simple lesson: strong systems emerge when people feel heard, respected, and trusted to contribute at a high level.

I grew up in Ohio and studied engineering at The Ohio State University, where I marched in The Ohio State University Marching Band - as did my son years later (he dotted the “i” in 2022, which is hard to top). I spent 25 years at Battelle, the world’s largest independent research and development organization, building and managing technical systems before shifting my focus more fully toward education.

That shift led to statewide STEM infrastructure work in Ohio, international education initiatives in China, Kazakhstan, Chile, and Egypt, and eventually to helping launch and lead the Red Frame Lab at Denison University. Across these environments, the constant has been design - using engineering rigor and human-centered thinking to help institutions and individuals move from aspiration to execution.

I am a husband and a father of three grown children pursuing creative paths of their own. When I am not designing systems, I am usually playing jazz saxophone or volleyball with friends.

— Steve

“The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing.”

— Albert Einstein