I was born and raised in Kahalu'u, on the island of 'Oahu, Hawai'i. I attended Ben Parker Elementary School and graduated from Punahou School in 1976. I spent two years studying at the University of Oregon and San Francisco State, then began an eighteen month culinary program at the California Culinary Academy, from which I graduated in 1981 with a chef's certification. I worked at restaurants in San Francisco and San Diego, then shifted to work in hotel management. In 1990 I continued my undergraduate studies at the University of Iowa, then returned home to teach history at Punahou School. In 2000 I began teaching history and other subjects at La Pietra, Hawai'i School for Girls. From 2010 to 2014 I taught history at ‘Iolani School. I currently work for Apple, Inc., in Honolulu. While at La Pietra, I completed a masters in the Foundations of Education (emphasis in service-learning) at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa. In the spring of 2010 I founded iPad Education Dreams, a Facebook working group. We are now 1300 (and rising) educators, students and interested individuals from all over the world, devoted to all things iPad in the classroom. My daughter Emma is a graduate of UCSB and currently works for Imlakesh Organics in Santa Barbara, CA. My wife Cheryl is the Director of Sales at Hawai'i News Now. Cheryl and I have two cats, Penny and Raymo. I have five brothers and one sister. All of them live in Hawai'i.