Introduction
Similar to the State of the Union address, my inaugural State of the Mentors gives an update on the past, present, and future state of mentorship in my life. Learn about who I am mentoring and who made a significant impact on my journey. I hope it inspires all and gives thanks to many of the special people I love and respect. In the words of Ram Dass, “We’re all just walking each other home.”
Mentees
Miles Helton
Miles has been making strides this year and is becoming a fine young man! The universe gave me the best birthday present a 40 year old guy can get by dropping the S.O.A.R. invitation in my lap while sitting on the front porch enjoying life. This is the top award given at their school for students that exemplify leadership and ownership skills. Miles wanted one so bad the previous month when his sister won, we could see him crossing his fingers and saying “PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE”.. we thought it was so sweet and funny as we knew his big sis was getting it. Miles has been crushing snowboarding and is playing baseball. This week he was hit in the face by the ball and didn’t shed a tear. This guy has it going on!
Barbara Helton
Barbara won a S.O.A.R. Award 2 months ago and spoiler alert… SHE’S DONE IT AGAIN! Shhhh, she doesn’t know this yet and will find out next week. Just last night we were at her school and her math teacher pulled me aside and told me that she is her FAVORITE student. She said she is the only one who’s eyes light up and is always trying her best. This makes me so proud as math seemed so distant for her as an artist. As a team, we have worked hard to get there and I can tell the interest is genuine. She has also taken up drama and band playing the sax like her Dad. You can see her above as the joke telling lobster in her school play. She is also playing softball, flexing all of the sports skills.
London Helton
This little man is a total ROCK STAR! He tells his teacher everyday that he is, so it must be true. If that doesn’t make it true maybe the daily guitar practice does. He loves school and often runs away when his mom picks him up so he can stay longer. He NEVER does this with me as he is so excited to give me the biggest hug. His vocabulary has grown so much this year and always tries his best. I have a feeling we will be getting the S.O.A.R. Award next month. He is very considerate and loves his friends. Below he is pictured with his rooster named Monster. He is like me as a kid so I am trying my best that he avoids the same pitfalls I had.
Craig Helton
Yes, even the tiniest souls might grow up to be big one day. The problem is I still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up. As I review the “Top 22” below, I am all at once honored, humbled and aghast for the mentors I have had the opportunity to learn from. Honored as if you know any of them, they are all giants. Humbled as I know I would not be where I am today if it wasn’t for their help and guidance. Finally, aghast as I am sure I have not lived up to a single one of their expectations. Life is not about what we are, but about what we can be. If you don’t know any of them, I suggest you seek them out and learn a thing or two from them. Many have amazing backgrounds and give away knowledge and expertise. These are in order of entry not significance.
Mentors
Scott Helton
External link to Scott Helton’s linkedin profile
My Dad, my first mentor. If you ever wonder where I got my work ethic, it comes from my Father. As a firefighter, I watched him work multiple jobs tirelessly to provide for our family. Often for multiple days straight, to the point of disability. The epitome of “Work harder, not smarter” he did what he could with what he was given. He had a son that would often get into trouble at school, unable to channel his energy properly. My first work experiences were with him maybe 12 or 13 years of age maintaining an old apartment building, in the ghetto, that would one day be mine. He could never get through to me that school and education was not a chore, but a stepping stone to another life. With all his effort, I can now easily see the forest through the trees and try to accomplish with my kids, what he could not. Now it makes me proud when he calls me to discuss issues he might be having and I can lend an ear and a helping hand.
Christopher Britton
External link to Christopher Britton’s linkedin profile
Chris, the big brother I never had. Chris taught me the ins and outs of the mortgage industry after I had dropped out of college studying computer science. He was the beginning of me being able to see what “Work smarter, not harder” might look like. Working with Chris, I was often told that if I wasn’t a millionaire by the time I was 26, I was doing something wrong. I taught him how to make wine and was amazed by how calm he was with his beautiful family. Mine was a little disfunctional, but he made it look so easy. We worked together up until the start of the great recession and it was with his encouragement I went back to college to complete my degree. Which had now changed to Finance and International Business, I could not see my life in a cubicle pulling out my hair for syntax and compile time errors. I saw finance as something I could use no matter what I did in life. Thank you Chris.
Terry Grundy
External link to Terry Grundy’s linkedin profile
Terry was the first professor to show interest in my work. I don’t know where I would be if it wasn’t for Terry Grundy. He had a class of at least 150 students and it was an amazing combination of political science, urban planning, and compassion. I seriously have never met anyone so elegant in their language, in their ability to unite, and in their passion for creating a better union than Terry. So when he asked me to be a TA in his class, it made me ask myself, “Why me? What more can I do?” At that moment I finally started to do more than just show up to class and take notes. That wasn’t the only class he taught though. Terry is so advanced, he taught a class on symbolism throughout history and also one on “How to live the good life!” I was introduced to several famous people through Terry either directly or indirectly, the next 2 mentors being both. Terry, I can never thank you enough. Please say hi to Jodine for me, we are overdue for macarons and sherry.
Daniel Goleman
External link to Daniel Goleman’s linkedin profile
Although I never got to meet Daniel Goleman in person, my life has intersected with his work several times. The first was trying to figure out what gave Terry that edge (or lack of). I came across his book, Emotional Intelligence, and thought “That’s it! That’s what Terry has that enables him to do what he does!” So I bought his book and immediately started getting made fun of by my friends when they saw it on my desk. That didn’t stop me though. I didn’t realize it at the time, but it began a journey within me that continues to this day. I even had the opportunity while working with the PeaceJam Foundation to work on a project for Daniel’s book, A Force For Good, The Dalai Lama’s Vision For Our World. Daniel, when we finally meet in person, I will ask for you to sign my unreleased proof copy. No one has ever made fun of me for that one.
David Little
External link to David Little’s linkedin profile
I met David directly through Terry’s class. I remember years earlier, as a teenager, seeing David on the news. Of all things, he was dumping HIS OWN MONEY in the Ohio River. Why would he do such a thing? Because he is a political genius. He was showing tax payers that their own money was flowing down river to the new casinos in Indiana. David took me under his wing as an intern only because Terry Grundy asked him. He is now London’s Godfather and someone I hold dear to my heart. The father that is always on my case to be a better person in all ways. If anyone comes close to having the level passion for striving to create a better union as Terry Grundy, it would be David. He has an unwavering sense for ethics, music, freedom, liberty, fiscal conservation, and finally grammar of the English language. His wife Monica is a gem and I am proud to have them in my life and see them whenever possible.
Emilie Helton
External link to Emilie Helton’s linkedin profile
Wow, who is that beauty?? Oh yeah, that’s my wife Emilie! Tomorrow we will celebrate our 11th wedding anniversary, if anyone on this list deserves recognition for their dedication to me it is this lady right here! She has been with me through thick and thin, and these last few months have been really thin. She has been my rock and always there when I’m questioning my life’s decisions and wondering “My God, What have I done?!” She is quick to make me know my worth, which has been tested many times throughout our relationship. She became a stay at home mother when we had Miles and is now starting to open her wings and make opportunities that make her happy. Our house works because of all of her hard work to make it work. I can barely take credit because she has carried us farther than I could have imagined 11 years ago. Babe, because of you I look forward to the next 111 years because I know if we are alive you will be by my side.
Rosemary Andrew
External link to Rosemary Andrew’s linkedin profile
Rosemary made my graduate school experience at the University of Cincinnati something I would have expected at an Ivy League college. I know I’m not the only one that would say that. She actively listened to what I wanted to get out of the program and suggested the classes of the next two professors. She also suggested the cool ERPsim challenge which my team won 2nd place globally. Furthermore, she loved to learn new things and would often take classes along with the students. We had our daughter Barbara during the program and I could feel the pride from Rosemary as Barbara was not just our baby, but the program’s baby. Those were tough days, working full-time only to go straight to school and then work sessions with fellow classmates often past midnight, only to do it all again the next day. I was successful in the program because of Rosemary.
Jeffrey Shaffer
External link to Jeffrey Shaffer’s linkedin profile
Jeffrey is another professor of mine that showed great interest in my work. His class on Data Visualization is excellent and has stuck with me in all of my analytical adventures. I got my start in Tableau analyzing and visualizing crime in Cincinnati on a major project for his class. He even played trumpet at our wedding ceremony! He didn’t just play trumpet, it really elevated the ceremony because he is classically trained and has the best tone of any trumpet I have ever heard. I might be biased, but I swear it came from heaven that day. If I would have known his wife had the voice of an angel, I would have asked her to sing along! Although I no longer work with Tableau, I built elegant data dashboards for Humana, federal credit unions, and countless Google Analytics implementations. Maybe his biggest contribution was in his confidence as a professor. It enabled me to think “Hey, I can do that too.” I doubt my class teaching python was ever as interesting as his.
Steve Caravajal
External link to Steve Caravajal’s linkedin profile
Of all my professors, Steve trumps them all. Steve taught the most challenging classes, so challenging students were scared to take them. Only a handful of the bravest souls would be in his class on a Saturday morning. I know of no one else who could teach Enterprise Architecture, Distributed and Cloud Computing, and Organic Chemistry. He would give students Cs that have never had a C in their life. On top of that, he embodies the spirit of never take no for an answer when your future is on the line. It became clear to me that anything is possible with proper guidance and the will to learn. Through his teaching, I began cloud development back when it was Windows Azure and I am amazed to see how much it has grown. It is of no surprise to me though, as I know he is a major force behind that growth. Some of my favorite books were assigned in his class including The Information and Thinking Fast and Slow. It is possible that my children will learn more from Steve than I ever did. I am still learning from his classes.
Grady Booch
External link to Grady Booch’s linkedin profile
Grady Booch is the only reason I stay on Twitter. He is also the only one on this list that I have never met nor had any professional relationship. Yet, his impact can’t be understated. I learned about Grady indirectly through Steve’s class on Enterprise Architecture. This class didn’t have a specific book, but many books were assigned to read. Only thing was none of them were actually on EA. So when I came across Grady’s work, I realized I had been using it throughout my technical schooling and career in the form of Uniform Modeling Language (UML). My favorite quote of his is “Software is the invisible writing that whispers the stories of possibility to our hardware.. and YOU are the storytellers!” If I would have known Grady lived in Maui, I would have tried to have lunch with him during our honeymoon in Ka’anapali! Lunch at Mama’s Fish House next time I’m in Maui, Grady? A guy can only dream!
Ivan Suvanjieff
External link to Ivan Suvanjieff’s linkedin profile
Ivan is among the coolest people I know. Who else do I know that was married by Desmond Tutu? Or who else had an idea to have a meeting with the Dalai Lama to help the often troubled youth. Not just had the idea, but was laughed out of rooms for even mentioning he was going to go through with his idea. Only one other person and that is his wonderful wife below, Dawn. I think about the work I did with PeaceJam often and it is work I wish I continued. Now back to how freaking cool Ivan is.. the guy lives in Spain and creates larger-than-life paintings in the Dada style among the likes of Duchamp and Max Ernst. Only David Little exceeds in our music conversations and explorations and I even built a basic website for Ivan with videos detailing the major punk bands from Detroit. Living in Vermont, there aren’t many opportunities or reasons to play my sax other than teach my kids. So, recently I asked Ivan if we could collaborate. Like the badass he is, he said yes!
Dawn Engle
External link to Dawn Engle’s linkedin profile
What can I saw about Dawn outside of what I previously mentioned? Many things! Dawn is a true inspiration. The life and teachings of many Nobel Laureates live on through her films as director, constantly winning film festivals. How about Shirin Ebadi: Until We Are Free or The Dalai Lama — Scientist? If you haven’t watched those, I highly recommend them. Dawn showed me what is possible with vision, the ability to ask nicely, and the grit to get the job done. Dawn gave me the opportunity to move to Denver and allowed me to travel to San Francisco often to join the team at Google. Many days were spent in the Google Garage trying to build world peace. I was always impressed with the team that Dawn was able to build on donations of cash, but often people’s good will and the love for the organization and the work we were doing. I attribute that to Dawn infectious optimism, good humor, and vision. I look forward to reconnecting in Spain in the near future.
Chade-Meng Tan
External link to Chade-Meng Tan’s linkedin profile
For he’s a jolly good fellow, which nobody can deny! Meng was the first uber famous person I had the pleasure to meet and learn from. Oh you don’t know who he is? He was the face of Google, a serial best-selling author, and one of the funniest and kindest people on this planet. Furthermore, Daniel’s book on Emotional Intelligence didn’t fully click until I read Meng’s Search Inside Yourself. Until then I didn’t understand the relationship between mindfulness and EI. When I worked with Meng, it felt like anything could happen. We would be in a meeting and all of a sudden someone like Hulk Hogan would call. Or the project I was working on would be nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize multiple times. Today Meng’s books are needed more than ever. His life goal is world peace. He literally just wants everyone to be happy. The more people that can understand and adopt his philosophy will truly lead to more peaceful world. I have no doubt. It is easy to start, just be kind to everyone you meet!
Jason Van Peeren
External link to Jason Van Peeren’s linkedin profile
Jason, AKA JVP, guided the last 8 years of my career more than anyone. He was the Director of Digital Experience at Vail Resorts and early on he said I’m going to get you certified as a Sitecore Developer. I said OK. With that one decision I would find a specialization in which I could use my many skills building enterprise level e-commerce applications. Prior to this I built many marketing websites on multiple platforms, so I welcomed the focus of just one. Jason also helped me navigate Vail’s culture which was not as strict as many enterprises, but still an enterprise. Jason’s one-on-ones where always insightful and unique. I had previous experiences where bosses wouldn’t remember what they said the previous meeting. That would never happen with JVP. He was always interested in how I wanted to level up!
Alicia Peters
External link to Alicia Peters’s linkedin profile
Alicia was the Principle Architect at Vail Resorts and later my direct manager. I remember being so intimidated and nervous by her for some reason initially, I quickly learned she was awesome. Her experience within Vail’s systems made it easy for her to point me in the right direction without me spinning my wheels. That is always helpful when you are learning new systems. Especially ones that are older as they can be tricky. The agile ceremonies were quite different that what I had experienced on previous projects. Alicia and team made it seamless to join the fold of the team. When I left for a lead role to manage the platform for a group of credit unions, within a year Alicia was talking to me about joining an exciting project she knew I would knock it out of the park for them. That felt great. I always hope people that I respect enjoy working with me. Alicia proved it and gave me the freedom to not be micromanaged.
Stephen Ogden
External link to Stephen Ogden’s linkedin profile
Stephen was Front-end Manager at Vail Resorts and was the first to show me real tricks of the front end, but also tricks on the ski slopes. We spent many team ski days at resorts near Denver and he would always push my comfort zone. This made me improve and do things I would otherwise never do. Such as skiing in the Champaign glades at Vail where there is a door you go through with a sign that says, “YOU CAN DIE!!!” I would have never known about that area, let alone known how to avoid the cliff! It is days like that which will live with me forever. I look forward to come back to Denver with the family sometime and we can get the families out on the slopes together.
Kevin DiTroia
External link to Kevin DiTroia’s linkedin profile
Kevin was my first boss at Sitecore and he enabled me to shape my life as it currently is in Vermont. It was really cool working with Kevin as he had so much experience and we could connect on many things including family, music, and technology. His love for the east coast made the thought of moving there from Denver palatable. Kevin gave me the flexibility to learn new skills and create POCs on the latest Edge computing technologies. Sitecore was making new acquisitions and it was an exciting time for technology, but a weird time with the pandemic. While working with Kevin I was able to flex my skills as a Sherpa, taking new employees of the acquisitions under my wing and exposing them to the culture and values as Kevin did for me when I joined. I look forward to possibly hangout some in Boston this summer Kev.
Mark Miller
External link to Mark Miller’s linkedin profile
Mark was my second boss at Sitecore as I moved into more of a technical sales role. I thought I knew a lot about sales in general, but I quickly found I knew almost nothing about software sales. I literally sold Sitecore and myself everyday for several years how hard could it be? Mark showed me how hard it was. He worked tirelessly to detrain years of demoing to teach instead of demoing to sell. Recently, I got to finally meet Mark in Minneapolis during Sitecore DX where my project won a Sitecore Experience Award. That was great as we worked together, but never got to meet during my tenure.
Scott Young
External link to Scott Young’s linkedin profile
From the first remote work session with TCS and Atkore, I knew I would have a special connection with Scott. In that first meeting, he made it clear that my voice “was like the voice of God!” I think they had the conference settings for me up kind of high, but none-the-less when I spoke up, it was important and people listened. Of course I thought this was funny, but it was effective! Throughout the almost two years we worked together we had the chance to catch a game at Wrigley Field and when we won the award in Minneapolis. Scott was always very personable and made me feel like we were long time friends, not just colleagues. Maybe that was because we had great comradery on the team, which is useful when there is over 100 people all working toward the same goal. Scott is another person that I basically agree with everything he says, because he is right for good reason.
Rob Huffstedtler
External link to Rob Huffstedtler’s linkedin profile
Rob is the VP of Alliances at Sitecore and I always had lots of respect for him as he was always on point. That only increased when I started following him on LinkedIn. He is one of the few people that has it figured out. So when he gives me a suggestion, such as starting this blog, I take it to heart and try to execute to the best of my ability. So when he reposts something I wrote, it makes me feel great! I don’t usually put myself out there like this, but it is due to Rob that I am trying new things. Rob is a big champion of me and has helped to land my next role which I am still in the process of landing. This job market has been incredibly tough, but people like Rob help keep the focus and confidence up. Thanks Rob, you have been a big contribution to my growth this year.
Evan Francen
External link to Evan Francen’s linkedin profile
Evan leads the FRSecure mentorship program to teach the principles of cybersecurity in the lense of the CISSP certification exam. This is a free resource Evan and FRSecure provides to everyone who is interested. So far it has been great and includes multiple instructors so it is not just him doing everything. If you are not aware of the CISSP, it is basically one of the most difficult IT exams you can take. It is managerial focused so you aren’t expected to hack into any systems to pass. Evan and team have a discord group setup with multiple sessions each week. The amount of free resources available to those who want to learn new things is astounding. It is because of people like Evan that we will be a more secure society. To few people understand that it is all of our responsibility to be secure online.
Martin Miles
External link to Martin Miles’s linkedin profile
Martin recently took me on as a mentee as part of Sitecore’s MVP Mentor Program. This is another free program that was not available when I started working with Sitecore. The ultimate goal is to prepare you for the ultimate achievement in the Sitecore world, MVP status. One requirement of MVP is community outreach and knowledge sharing. I never considered myself a blogger so I thought that title was something that was unobtainable for me. I have read Martin’s blogs for a couple years now and when seeing him speak at Sitecore DX in Minneapolis, I thought to myself “That guy is a mentor’s mentor!” You know similar to when a lawyer gets in trouble, he doesn’t want just any lawyer… Martin has been an excellent mentor so far and I look forward to being pushed more outside my comfort zone. Thanks for all you do Martin!