Newsradio KDKA’s Larry Richert once described me as “a man who wears many hats.” He’s right — and they’re hats I’ve worn with purpose.

 

It’s true: I’m a Pittsburgh native who has spent decades working in both state and national arenas shaping public policy and strengthening civic life. I’m a Senior Fellow at leading think tanks and I sit on the board of the American Consumer Institute. I’ve appeared on local, national, and international television and radio, a far cry from my roots growing up as part of the “Mark Drive Family” in Pittsburgh Penn Hills.

 

My forthcoming book, A Venn Diagram of One: An American Story, arrives in August 2026, and it highlights the connectivity that my life has had with different types of Americans and various life experiences, going from cutting lunch meat as a deli clerk at Giant Eagle to serving as CEO of the Pennsylvania Coalition of Public Charter Schools during a once-in-a-century pandemic.

 

In many ways, my story is simply an American story: trials and tribulations, obstacles and overcoming.

 

So, what type of guy writes a book calling himself “A Venn Diagram of One”?

 

A husband honored to be married to his soulmate for nearly 25 years — a woman who overcame childhood poverty and domestic violence to return to college as a second‑act student, win the Mendellian Award for Excellence in Biology, and travel to South America as an honors scholar.

 

A son proud to carry the name of a military veteran who overcame racism during the Civil Rights Era, earned a degree while working as a hospital orderly, and built a 20‑year career in technology. A son who watched his father survive a near‑fatal gunshot wound, recover over 11 months in the hospital, and eventually soar the skies one final time before retiring.

A community leader who works with Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Award winner Leon Ford on criminal justice reform. A student of civil rights icons like the late Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr., shaped by time living on the South Side of Chicago. A policy analyst who has collaborated with leaders at the Heritage Foundation, NAACP, Commonwealth Foundation, Urban League, American Federation for Children, and PUSH Excel.

 

A media presence who has appeared on both right‑leaning and left‑leaning outlets — keeping consistent values along the way and reminding audiences that we are many, but out of many, we are one. Since 2008, I’ve appeared more than 500 times across television, radio, and streaming platforms including the Marconi Award–winning Newsradio KDKA, where I host each Sunday. My writing has been published in The Washington Post, The Root, The Dallas Morning News, The Chicago Defender, and RedState. I’ve also appeared in documentaries including America in Perspective, Dear Mr. President: The Letters of Julia Sand, and The Impossible Dream.

 

A speaker that addressed audiences at the Union League of Philadelphia, the Pennsylvania Leadership Conference, CPAC, the State of the Black Union, Tea Party rallies, Heritage Foundation, and Americans for Prosperity. I’ve guest‑lectured at institutions including Bainbridge State College, the University of the District of Columbia, the University of Pittsburgh, and the University of North Carolina. One of my most meaningful experiences was serving as an adjunct professor of African American History at LaRoche University. I’ve testified before the Pennsylvania General Assembly and even attended a hearing of the United States Supreme Court.

 

A politico committed to bringing politics back to the people — a style Reagan biographer Dr. Paul Kengor described as “winsome and persuasive… giving conservatives a choice, not an echo.”

 

It’s a long way from playing pole‑to‑pole football before the Lincoln Park PAT bus rolled up the street each summer. But I’m still carrying the ball — not just for myself, but for the team. Because each of us has a unique story, and together, we create the American story. Out of many, one.