Who is in your family?

I have been extremely happily married to Marjorie (Marj) for over 35 years. We have three children:

• Andy is married to Erika. He is a coach/teacher at Hutto High School. They have 3 children (Melanie, Morgan and Emmy).
• Rachel is married to John Dow. They have 2 children (Malia and Levi), and live in south Austin.
• Grace is married to Pate Howard. They have 1 child (Lucy) and live in Birmingham, AL.

My family brings me the greatest possible joy I can imagine on this earth.

How long have you attended Grace?

I have attended Grace Covenant since 1995, when we moved here from California.

How long have you been an elder?

This time around, I have been on the board for a year. Prior to a 2-year hiatus, I served as an elder for about 15 years.

What is your educational background and current job?

I received a BA in Economics from Point Loma Nazarene University (San Diego) and an MBA from UCLA. For the past 36 years, I have worked in the high-tech industry for large companies, like IBM and HP, as well as start-ups, like Tivoli and Waveset. I’m currently CEO and founder of a software company called SailPoint (NYSE:SAIL).

What is your vision or passion for the people of Grace?

It’s very simple, really. My hope and prayer is that we will all become more like Christ in all of life. It’s far too easy in our country to give lip service to the notion of Christianity. It can be more like belonging to the local community organization than experiencing a life-long passion to learn what it means to follow Christ. Living by faith, loving God passionately, truly loving others and sacrificing our desires to serve them – these are the things that will force people to ask us “why?” My prayer is that our lives will reflect Christ’s character, so people who are looking for the Truth will find themselves attracted to Him, because they see Him in us.

What is your prayer for Grace Covenant Church?

I pray that others will know we are followers of Christ by our love – real, authentic, grace-filled, tough-when-necessary, peacemaking, servant-hearted … love.

What ministries are you currently involved with at Grace and in what ways are you discipling and/or mentoring other individuals or small groups?

For the past few years, I have had the privilege to serve as a leader in the Empty Nesters Adult Community. Over my 25 years at Grace, I have been involved as a leader or teacher in many different ministries, including various Adult Communities, Men’s Ministry, Life Groups, and a number of others.