How I got here.
From Rochelle to Wilson, by way of a few unexpected turns.
How I got here Illinois roots, Scouting and the start of my transit career.
Scouting, college, and an unexpected turn toward transit.
I was born in 1975 to Robert and Deborah Beck in Rochelle, Illinois. I attended Lincoln School, Rochelle Junior High and Rochelle Township High School, graduating in 1993.
Scouting became a major part of my life beginning in first grade with Pack 552. In 1987 I joined Troop 312, where I earned Eagle Scout. I later returned as the final Scoutmaster of Troop 312 and helped two young men earn Eagle Scout.
I graduated from Kishwaukee College in 1998 and Western Illinois University in 2000, then returned for my master’s degree, finally finishing in 2011 after a transportation internship. During college I was recognized in Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities & Colleges and inducted into Rho Phi Lambda.
My first career began with the Boy Scouts of America in 2001. After leaving professional Scouting and spending a few years figuring out what I wanted to be when I grew up, I returned to graduate school.
Then transportation found me.
I began driving a bus for Laidlaw in 2007, became a transit supervisor with First Student in 2009, and became a General Manager with Durham School Services in 2012. From there came transit systems, startups, moves, executive roles and considerably more mileage than any sensible career path should require.
SITW is personal too: Steve, Ike, Tucker & Wilson. It is the professional side of my life and the guy who can spend entirely too much time studying an interchange, airport terminal, transit map or highway sign.
