About

I started from very humble beginnings. I still see myself as a small-town country boy from Tallahassee, FL. We were dirt poor but I didn’t know it. Neither of my parents graduated from high school but they were hard-working people.

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During the early years, my Dad worked on the trash truck. He later got a job with the state of Florida where he retired. My Dad was best known for making you laugh until your side hurt from his colorful comedy. Now he was no saint. But who is? My baby sister always tells me I’m just an educated version of my Dad. In some ways, it’s true! Like my Dad, I’m passionate about helping other people. But so was my mother.

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My mother was raised on a country farm. My poor mother (like many others) was no match for my Dad’s quick wit and smooth talk. Little did she know, Papa was a rolling stone. He later rolled on and left her responsible for all financial support. James Brown was known as the hardest-working man in show business. My mother was the hardest working woman who took care of her business. My mother always had to work 2 – 3 jobs to make ends meet. She was a cook during the day, cleaned office buildings at night, and had several other side hustles (e.g., selling Avon, sewing, etc.). Most of the time she worked from sun up to sundown seven days a week. Sometimes she would be so tired when she got home she would fall asleep in her uniform while sitting in a chair. My mother was a master at stretching and saving a dollar. My mother taught us how to work, live below our means, save for a rainy day, and keep good credit. Those principles allowed my mother to eventually buy a car. Thanks to a government program for single parents with children, my mother was able to buy a small three-bedroom, one-bathroom house during her later years. It was a mansion compared to the small two-bedroom apartment we lived in. Although my mother continued to work 2 - 3 jobs after she bought the house, she always made time for us. She showered us with love and supported our school and civic activities. She also instilled morals, values, ethics, integrity, and respect. She taught us to be model citizens and to trust in the higher power.

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My mother’s struggle and my humble beginnings served as my initial “STRONG WHY.”

It led me to start achieving financial stability, and independence at an early age to help my mother.

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• At age 16, my part-time job as a dishwasher in a restaurant and side hustles (e.g., selling used computer paper, aluminum cans, scrap iron, slightly used valuables, etc.) enabled me to pay for my

  • School clothes and necessities which eased the burden off my mother.

  • First and second cars, insurance, and maintenance.

• Bought my first real estate property around age 19.

• Earned a Navy ROTC scholarship that paid for my college education. It included a small monthly stipend which added another stream of stable income to my part-time job/side hustles.

• I likely made history in the Navy. I am likely the ONLY male Unrestricted Line Officer who was repeatedly ranked number one among peers, promoted early several times, retired as a Navy Captain (level 06 or Colonel in other military services), and never served on a ship.

• I was repeatedly "hand-picked" by senior officers and government senior executives to serve in positions that called for someone much more senior throughout my career including a senior executive position (SES 2, two-star Admiral or General equivalent) at a government agency.

• I have over 40 years of extensive and progressively responsible international, public/private sector experience in “Washington know-how”, thought leadership, seasoned management skills, strategic planning, human capital, contracts/acquisition, program/project management, Enterprise-wide Services of Common Concerns, information technology, process/policy development, organization development, facility/property management, and finance/budget; managed a half-billion-dollar ($500M) government budget, and provided support to thousands of people.

• My brand of services (while serving in key public and private sector positions) was repeatedly sought by senior officers, Generals/Admirals, and government senior executives (including the Deputy Secretary of Defence and Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence levels) to resolve highly visible and complex issues with congressional and White House interest.

• Provided financial support that enabled my mother to live the modest lifestyle she chose, and enjoy the golden retirement years she so richly deserved.

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Like they say in the Farmers Insurance commercial, “we know a thing or two because we’ve seen a thing or two.” To whom much is given, much will be required (Luke 12:48). In the words of Desmond Tutu “…do your little bit of good where you are; it's those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world”. Sharing “Uncle G Wiz – Wizdom that Empowers" -- allows me to pay on my debt of gratitude to the people who helped me and many others along the way!

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Sincerely, Uncle G Wiz  

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