My entire career has been focused on helping people tell their stories. It is work that is rooted in the basics of good journalism. What is the most important element of the story and what is the narrative that brings it to life? After several years in radio news, I brought my understanding of powerful storytelling to Williams College where I was News Director for the college, focusing on connecting the faculty with the media. That was followed by five years as head of public affairs for the Kellogg School at Northwestern University, where the highlight of my work was seeing Kellogg top the first Business Week rankings of MBA programs, not once but twice. The longest span of my work came as head of communications for the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, where I managed the annual announcement of the MacArthur Fellows, more widely known as the Genius Grants. Talk about story telling! Moving into private practice, I have spent many years working primarily with clients in the nonprofit sector, focusing on colleges and universities, and my long-time favorite Chicago Innovation, helping build an innovation economy in Chicago.