Describe yourself in three words. Faithful, generous, honest.
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up? A Navy pilot. “Top Gun” was an amazing recruiting tool for the Navy.
What is your favorite part of your job? Anything that has to do with interacting with people. I’m really blessed that I get multiple opportunities to interact with others in a variety of different situations.
What was your first job? In 6th grade I started a bubblegum business. I had three employees and I paid them a pack of bubblegum a day. The business was thriving for about one semester, until I got busted by my shop teacher and sent to the principal’s office. The world was different for entrepreneurs in 1990. I was given a choice of expulsion or bubblegum bankruptcy. Thankfully, I chose school. It may have proven pretty difficult to scale that business!
What is your greatest accomplishment? Being married for 19 years and having two beautiful daughters, but that probably has much more to do with my wife’s patience with me than it is an “accomplishment” of mine.
What is your dream job? Playing second base for the Cubs is probably out at this point, so I’d say coaching high school baseball.
What is your biggest pet peeve? Arrogance or selfishness.
Do you have a motto you live by? If so, what is it? “It’s always the right time to do the right thing!” and “Unsolicited explanations are just excuses.”
What would you choose as your last meal? It’s a toss up between chicken curry, lamb nihari or a huge double cheeseburger.
Who would you like to see perform in concert? OutKast.
What does your workout regimen consist of? I have a group of guys I work out with at 6:00 a.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and sometimes an extra day or two through the week. I would like to get back into karate in the evenings, but time doesn’t permit it.
What’s one thing you can’t live without? God, for sure, but also other people. I can’t imagine a life of solitude. I need to have relationships with those around me to find purpose.
What’s your biggest fear? Life without my daughters.
Name one person who has inspired you in your life. There are too many people to single out just one, but if I had to try I would still need two at minimum: My uncles, Anwer and Akram Khan, have been huge inspirations to me in a multitude of ways.
If you hosted a talk show, who would be your first guest? Vince Vaughn.
What is one important skill you think everyone should have? The ability to be empathetic.
What skill would you like to master? Obedience to God’s will.
If you could turn any activity into an Olympic sport, what would you win a medal in? Debating.
Who was your first celebrity crush? Shakira. Her hips are famous for telling the truth.
What is the strangest thing you’ve ever eaten? Chitlins. I was tricked and will never be fooled again.
If you could send a message to the entire world, what would you say in 30 seconds? Choose leaders who believe that we have far more in common than we do in conflict. Nothing is worth someone else’s life.
If you had to teach someone one thing, what would you teach? Patience and grace.
If you could go back in time, once, and change a single thing, what would it be? Adam should have stopped Eve from eating that apple. That said, I think everything is related so I’d be afraid of the consequences of changing one thing. If I could be guaranteed nothing else would change, I would change the way we reacted to COVID.
When were you happiest? Today! It’s always a choice, but today is the culmination of every other day of your life, so take all of the good and bad, and be grateful for the experiences.
Do you have a nickname? I don’t have any recent nicknames. I’ve had a few over the years for a variety of reasons, but thankfully none right now!
In what city did you grow up? Fort Wayne.
What book has had the greatest impact on you? I definitely have to say the Bible.
What is the first movie you ever saw in a theater? I grew up in the era of Blockbuster and drive-in movies, so it was a while before I went to the movie theater. We used to go to drive-ins and sneak in by riding in the trunk of the car — far different times! I’d say the first movie I saw in a theater was “Independence Day.”
What famous person would you most like to meet? I’m really not too into famous people to be honest. Maybe Ken Griffey Jr. or Neil deGrasse Tyson.
What do you actually do at your job? The jury is out. It seems to evolve constantly, but I would say at this point I spend most of my time coaching others in our organization, or working on projects to keep everything running.
What do you love most about Fort Wayne? I love the atmosphere here. No place is perfect but, in general, people like each other, and we are friendly and willing to help when needed. I think there are a lot of people that are moving in the same direction and that makes progress happen much faster and more easily!
If Hollywood made a movie about your life, whom would you like to cast as you? Hasan Minhaj, maybe?
Who would you invite to your dream dinner party (living, dead, famous, real or fictional)? To be very honest, my dream dinner party is probably just me and my family hanging out. Not very exciting, I know, but that’s what I love to do more than anything else! It wouldn’t be horrible to meet Tony Stark or Neil deGrasse Tyson, though…
What three items would you want with you if you were stranded on a desert island (other than food and water)? A satellite phone, a solar charger and a GPS positioning device.
If you had a time machine, where and to what time period would you travel? I think I’d either like to go to the future and see what becomes of us, or to ancient Egypt at the time the pyramids were being built.
If you could travel anywhere, where would you go? Either a warm island with a beach or to Egypt and/or Turkey.
If you could solve one major problem, what would it be? Greed and entitlement.
Where will you go on your next vacation? I’m hoping to Montana, but plans are up in the air!
If you could give your 15 year-old self advice, what would it be? The only comparison of any value is the comparison of your current self to your former self. Don’t look to anyone else.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given? It doesn’t matter if you know the answer if people don’t think you care about them first, so listen intently, pause and then speak.
What is the best gift you have ever been given? Children.
What age do you wish you could permanently be and why? Thirty-five. You’re old enough to know a little bit, and young enough to be able to still be active and energetic.
What is the most productive time of day for you? Late evening or anytime when no one else is working.
When was the last time you tried something new? It seems like every day there’s a chef making something interesting to taste!
If you could know the answer to one of life’s mysteries, which mystery would you choose? Black holes in space.
What do you collect? Memories — they’re precious. I wish I could remember more of them!
When was the last time you cried and why? Last week because of a difficult parenting situation with my daughter.
What is your earliest memory? Pushing my brother off of a roof in India when I was five-years-old. I was trying to spank him for being up there because we weren’t allowed to be there and I inadvertently knocked him off. Thank God he was fine and forgave me!
Do you have any guilty pleasures? What are they? Dr. Pepper, candy, and food in general.
What is something that never fails to make you laugh? Movie quotes. I love it when someone slips a movie quote into everyday conversation.
