After 30 years in the risk management and insurance industry, Tony left the corporate world to pursue opportunities in the nonprofit and ministry realm. His work with the homeless in New York and Houston led him to a strong interest in work, opportunity, and mobility as the path out of poverty and to self-sufficiency. He also developed a great passion for helping anyone to overcome any barrier to work.
After serving as a founding board member for The WorkFaith Connection in Houston, his first nonprofit staff role was as the Director of Employer Development there, overseeing the organization’s relationships with employers who were willing to open the door of opportunity to men and women forging a new life through faith and work. 78% of the people that The WorkFaith Connection serves have a felony or misdemeanor conviction, and many are also recovering their lives after addiction or homelessness. Many of these individuals did not have any work or job-related skills, and part of the work with employers was around helping them develop these skills. This role led Tony to join the Prison Entrepreneurship Program as Chief Development Officer to work with men (and later women) who were re-entering society. While many graduates of the program went on to launch their own businesses, initially 100% were employed within 90 days of release. His development work was primarily focused on volunteers and fundraising, but he did spend time with key employers understanding their business needs and requirements.
For two years, Tony worked on economic opportunity issues at The Philanthropy Roundtable, a philanthropic services organization. The focus was on strategies that donors could support to ensure people achieve greater economic independence, security, and mobility through work; entrepreneurship; and savings, credit, and asset building.
His most recent work has included a large community engagement project at The Church of St. John the Divine in Houston, focusing on at-risk youth with an emphasis on education, employment, and housing. He also worked on a significant national mental health project.
Since 2009 he has been on the Faithwalking journey, serving as a coach and facilitator, before assuming the Director of Development role.
He and his wife Susan have been married for 40 years and live in Lakeville, CT. They have two grown daughters, Charlotte and Louisa.
