I started my career as a Mechanical Engineer in Ohio working on stabilized platforms for imaging systems. The mechanical aspects were interesting, but the optics were fascinating! I crossed the country to go to graduate school at the University of Arizona's Optical Sciences Center to learn how to engineer the optical systems that I was working so hard to get pointed straight. One thing led to another, and before I knew it I was tenured professor in the Optics and Astronomy departments, doing cutting edge research, teaching practical skills to the students, and basically loving my life. I help start a couple of companies and took off a few years to live a life of leisure about my sailboat in the South Pacific. (Check it out at www.sailakela.net.) I've since returned to Tucson, energized to be part of the explosive growth of Arizona Optical Metrology (www.CGHnulls.com), providing computer generated holograms and measurement systems that meet the needs for everything optical from multi-billion-dollar space telescopes to mass-produced consumer optics.