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I am a professional speaker, trainer, author, coach, and consultant. I live in Atlanta, GA in the U.S. I have been a COCA Associate since 2020 and was named Lecturer of the Year for COCA in 2023. I am doing an educational session on Wednesday, June 19th, at 10:20 am, Inspiring Others to Lead in the Clubs track, but it is open to everyone.

I have been married to my wife Dia for 32 years and I have two daughters, Katie and Amanda. We have five cats - not on purpose! I grew up in Wisconsin and am a huge fan of the Green Bay Packers, but living in Atlanta has made me a fan of the Braves in baseball.

I have written and published four books on motivation and leadership: 1) Gonzo's Little Book of Motivation [originally published in 2006, second edition is 2022]; 2) Building Leaders Through Service: The Qualities of Visionary Leaders [Student Edition, originally published in 2020, second edition 2023], The Sermon on the Mount: The Greatest Motivational Speech Ever [Published in 2019]; and 4) Building Leaders Through Service: The Qualities of Visionary Leaders [Community Leader Edition, published in 2023]. I have spoken and trained more than 600 times for over 350 different colleges and universities in the US, Canada, and the Marshall Islands. I work with schools in-person, virtually, hybrid, and on-demand video.

I was a Theatre major in school, am a former stand-up comedian, and have worked on more than two dozen movies and TV shows as an extra. I have a credit on IMDb for an independent film that I had a small speaking role in.

I am Kiwanis member, which is a worldwide community service organization and love to do service projects. I have documented more than 50,000 hours of community service in my lifetime. I have served in numerous leadership roles in Kiwanis, their high school organization Key Club, and their collegiate organization Circle K (CKI).

One of my favorite sayings of my own is "Turn your regrets into forgets" and my favorite quote is from German philosopher Johan Wolfgang von Goethe, "Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it."

I love to learn about other people, so please say hi and tell me about yourself!