You can find my bio here. My more official resume is listed there.

Here are a few things about me that you won’t find there.

What are your favorite movies?
I prefer dramas, action and suspense movies and I don’t care for comedies. Silence of the Lambs is probably my favorite movie of all time.

What are your favorite books?
I prefer mystery novels and biographies. I just finished reading Michael Beschloss’s Presidential Courage. It’s great. Truman’s biography is another of my favorites and I have read all of Margaret Truman’s mysteries. They are a fun, easy read.

What are your favorite pastimes?
Politics. I keep up with it every day, even when on vacation. I love it. When not obsessing about that, I enjoy cooking, gardening, reading, going to the movies, hanging out with friends, and entertaining.

What’s your favorite music?
No preference. Music isn’t very important to me. More often than not, it’s background noise.

What is the best part of your job?
I guess it’s the day in, day out involvement in what’s going on around us. I also like the front row seat we have to witnessing history. I’ve seen two presidents being sworn in, witnessed the impeachment of another president, spent four days outside the Pentagon in the aftermath of 9-11, reported on countless scandals involving local and state politicians, and been in the middle of too many elections to count.

What’s the best election you covered?
That’s a tough one. The 2000 presidential election would have to be one of the top ones. I was at George Allen’s Senate victory party. When the networks made the initial call of Florida for Gore, the room fell silent. When that was taken back and then Tennessee was called for Bush, the mood changed in an instant. There were so many twists and turns to that election, I don’t think even a fiction writer could have come up with all of that! I would rank Allen’s re-election thumping, David Bower’s comeback as mayor, and Tom Perriello’s surprise win over Virgil Goode in the top four or five.

What’s the hardest part of your job?
It depends on the day. When I’m in the field, sometimes technology is our best friend, sometimes it’s our worst enemy. There’s nothing worse than putting together a great story and finishing it on deadline, only to have it not air because of a technical glitch.

Who are your role models?
I have studied several of our presidents including Woodrow Wilson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Harry Truman. I generally admire political leaders who are willing to go against the will of their party and their leaders to do what they think is right. Names like John Warner, Sam Nunn, and Warren Rudman come to mind. Unfortunately, courage like that is rare these days.
In the media, I like the work of Matt Lauer and Tom Brokaw, but I’d have to say that no one can top Bob Scheiffer. I have had the opportunity to meet him on several occasions. He even spoke to my students while I was working in Washington, DC. He is smart, genuine, honest, generous, and always asks the right questions in the right tone. Oh, and he’s a fellow TCU Horned Frog.

If you could do anything else what would it be?
I have no idea. Really. I can’t answer that. I am doing what I always wanted to do and I’m loving it.


Want to know more?

Visit my FAQs page.