What is your role at the hospital? What do you do on a daily basis?
I am in the General Counsel (legal) department as a staff attorney. I review and negotiate contracts, conduct various legal research projects, manage hospital estate files (where the hospital is named as a beneficiary of a will or trust), assist with hospital insurance and other various legal-related tasks as they arise.

What skills do you need for your job?
Our department provides legal services to the entire hospital, so having any understanding of the entire operation (from clinical practice to oil and gas, and everything in between) is a must. 

What led you to Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children? How long have you worked here?
I’ve been here five years. My mom actually found the job posting online—no telling how she located it. Nevertheless, this is exactly the kind of place I hoped to land and exactly the kind of place where I want to spend my career.

What do you enjoy most about Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children?
All organizations have inspiring mission statements, but this place lives out its mission. To play a very small part in that mission is a true blessing.

What drives or motivates you?
I am blessed to have the opportunity to provide legal counsel to an organization of this caliber. The medical care provided here is world-class, and I believe that all other work here-including legal work—should be world-class as well.

What was your first job? What path did you take to get here?
Chuck E. Cheese. My mom/headhunter drove me around town and let me apply where I wanted. I did dress up in the costume once, during non-peak hours. There’s actually specific training that employees would go through to be the mouse during birthday parties. I was never selected for that training.

What do you like to do in your spare time?
I have three kids: ages 8, 5 and 2, so most of my time is spent playing Legos, football, and/or Barbie, or picking up Legos, footballs, and/or Barbies.

What is your favorite…

• Hospital event: Christmas Party
• Food in the cafeteria: I tend to order the same thing over and over for a week and then move on the next thing. This week it's the pimento cheese sandwich.
• Place in the hospital: The Christmas tree in the atrium or the playground when my kids come visit for lunch.
• Place to travel: Hawaii or College Station. The former because of the weather, the latter because it is paradise on earth.
• Type of food: Anything with green chile. I was born and raised in Albuquerque, which means I was born and raised eating green chile.
• TV show: It’s not a TV show, but my favorite thing to watch is college football. Most of the time our TV is set to the Disney Channel though.

What did you want to be when you grew up?
At one time or another, a fighter pilot, a CIA officer or a sports agent. The first day I met my wife, I tried to impress her by telling her I wanted to be president. 

What’s the most adventurous thing you’ve ever done?
I’m risk averse—I’m in legal after all. But I did try to take all three of my kids to College Station—once—when my wife was out of town. That sure felt like an adventure.

What’s the last book you read?
Superman: To the Rescue. My two-year old will not go to bed until we read it. On the positive side, it is a board book designed for toddlers, so it is a quick read and I have basically memorized it.