The old saying is that you can't go home again. My experience coming back to Framingham State to assume the role of Director of External Affairs would suggest otherwise.

If I'm being honest when I first saw this position listed, I actually didn't pay much attention to it aside from the fact that it was in Framingham, the community I had called home for the latter half of my childhood. It was a nudge from a dear family friend, and my personally held belief that sometimes you're shown the right path even if you don't realize it at first, that had me revisit it. I'm so glad that I did.

When I graduated from Framingham High School (Go Flyers!) in 1999 I lived at 200 State Street - where my mother still resides today. I grew up in the shadow of what was then Framingham State College but had almost no interaction with the institution that was just up the street. The most direct interaction that I had with the college was working alongside students at the Stop and Shop at the corner of Route 9 and Temple Street. While this was my story it was by no means a unique one for so many of us who grew up here in Framingham, with a feeling that the school was physically in, but not truly of, the community.

Ironically it was this distance from the institution that made this position so much more appealing to me. How had the school changed since I had been gone, beyond the new buildings and the new designation as a university? What would it mean for FSU to engage with the community in a deeper and more intentional way? How could I apply the lessons that I had learned through years in public service, and observations of missed town/gown opportunities from even more years coming back to this community to visit family and friends, to help turn that vision into a reality?

The decision to come to Framingham for this role was a homecoming in ways beyond the geographic. As much as Framingham had a role in shaping my life so has public higher education in Massachusetts. It was at one of our peer institutions, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA), where I not only received an education, but also found my calling in public service and civic engagement. It probably didn't hurt that I also met my wife, who I've spent nearly 25 years with building a life together, as a fellow English/Communications major. I owe so much to the doors that were opened, the connections that were created, and the opportunities that were given because of Massachusetts’ public higher education system – in particular our state colleges/universities. How could I not give back?

When I look at the path I have been on, from childhood coming to Framingham from Cincinnati, Ohio; to my days as a student at MCLA experiencing some of the very best of what public higher education can be; to Beacon Hill, Boston City Hall, and so many other stops in my professional journey; being here at FSU at this critical moment for our school and the larger enterprise of higher education, and with the opportunity to help students have the kind of transformative experience I was blessed to have, is more than just a job. Having worked over these first few months with truly dedicated faculty, staff, and others across campus, the thing that makes me feel so good about the decision to step into this role is that I see the passion for this work, this place, and most importantly our people reflected all around me. While our work is rarely easy the community that exists here – and the incredible & inspirational personal stories of the students we are privileged to serve – make it worth every moment of effort.

Maybe you can’t truly go home again, but you can come back to the old neighborhood to build a new one as you pay it forward. I know it to be true because I get to live it every day, and I am so glad that I do.