A constant theme in my life has been my fascination with words, ideas, people and storytelling. It explains why I became a journalist, and remained one, for many years. It also explains the appeal of my post-journalism career in communications. I've been fortunate in my life to put my passion for words, ideas, people and storytelling at the service of several of the nation's leading news organizations - The Wall Street Journal, the Chicago Tribune and NPR. More recently, I put that passion to work for a non-profit trade association, the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities or CLPHA which represents about 70 of the nation's biggest affordable-housing providers.