Rob is a graduate of Messiah College, where he received a BA in psychology, and later received his MA in psychology from Geneva College. In 2020, he went back to school and received his MBA from The University of West Alabama.
He has worked in the non-profit sector for over 30 years. He joined Volunteers of America in 1999 and currently serves as the President/CEO of VOA Southeast. The organization serves over 35,000 people each year across Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi and provides services and support for people with disabilities, veterans, at-risk youth, the elderly, the homeless, and those recovering from addictions. Rob has also served as the President/CEO of VOA Carolinas and the COO of VOA Chesapeake.
Throughout his career, Rob has established an outstanding reputation as a leader, team builder, and strategic thinker. His efforts have led to the development of a variety of human service programs that meet critical community needs and are often operated in conjunction with an affordable housing component.
In addition, Rob has more than 20 years of affordable housing development experience with development costs in excess of $90M. Projects have ranged from single-family homes to large multi-family apartment complexes that were constructed with federal, state, and local dollars. He has also been responsible for the management of over 80 HUD, HOME, and Low-Income Housing Tax Credit funded housing facilities in his career.
One of his proudest career achievements is the development of the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) in Durham, North Carolina. This Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services program is a comprehensive medical and social service model for serving the nation’s most frail elderly within their homes. The program includes a partnership with the Duke University Healthcare System.
In 2016, Rob was selected by Merryck & Co., a global executive mentoring firm, for their intensive mentorship program, and those relationships continue to this day. Finally, he is a founding member of the Alabama Service Providers Association, an association of providers of community-based services for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities in Alabama, and has served on their board since 2017.