On the academic front, since graduating from DHS, I attended Brown University, where I double majored in Biology and Political Science. I then went to Harvard Law School, from which I graduated in 1995. After having spent the prior seven winters in New England, I then moved to southern California, where the weather is SOOO much better. On the career front, I began working in 1995 as a transactional attorney with Latham & Watkins in Los Angeles, and after getting a ton of experience over several years in the late 1990s, I then switched careers and became an investment banker with Bear Stearns in their LA office. After doing a bunch of deals primarily in the life sciences arena, I then chose to become an executive with a very cool "industrial biotech"€ company based in San Diego that I helped take public in 2000, formerly known as Diversa Corp. and now known as Verenium Corp. In 2008, I left the company to become a senior executive of Cellana, a private algae-based biofuel & bioproducts company that is based in Hawaii and San Diego. On the personal front, I was divorced in 2010 and am now engaged to Melissa Kirkpatrick. I have two beautiful daughters, Alexandra (11 years old) and Sophia (7 years old). Alexandra is in 5th grade, and Sophia just is in 1st grade.