I recently moved to Maine from Memphis, Tenn., where I am completing my Ph.D. in counseling psychology from The University of Memphis. Prior to living in Memphis, my wife and I lived for many years in Kansas City, Mo., where I worked in the pharmaceutical industry and completed my master’s in counseling from the University of Missouri – Kansas City. I try to stay active by running, entertaining my two dogs, and playing tennis – a sport that constantly challenges me. I also greatly enjoy traveling and experiencing other cultures. One of my greatest rewards after a long project or semester is to take a trip with family or friends.

What has been your most embarrassing moment?

Though I have had many embarrassing moments throughout my life (some of which simply cannot be detailed for public consumption), a recent moment occurred while attending a national conference. During a well attended but particularly uneventful meeting, I soon lost interest and started to drift to sleep. At this meeting many individuals were being recognized for their accomplishments and were being asked to stand and be recognized. Well, I was inadvertently awakened by the people around me standing up. I thought the meeting was over so I stood up as well. Of course, the meeting was not yet over. In fact, the people I was sitting with were now receiving a big round of applause from the audience for a rather large accomplishment – of which I had absolutely nothing to do with. Seeing the look of “who is that?” on the audience’s faces, I quickly sat down with my face burning red. I was extremely embarrassed. I suffered through the rest of the meeting, wide awake this time, and immediately left at its conclusion.

What is your favorite comfort food?

I love everything about breakfast. There is something about the smell of bacon, biscuits, and coffee in the morning that brings me back to country breakfasts at my grandparents’ house in the Midwest. I also love to cook breakfast. I have developed my own secret recipes for cooking eggs and bacon as well as perfected my special brew of coffee.

If you could take a trip anywhere in the world, where would you go?

My grandparents immigrated to the United States from Sweden. As I was growing up, family gatherings were rich with Swedish traditions and many of our meals consisted of traditional Swedish food and drink. My dream vacation would be to take my father to Sweden to experience the culture, eat some lutefisk, and connect with some of our relatives that still live in Sweden.