BUILDING THE LINKS THAT MATTER
"Nasc" is the Irish word for link — or connection. Given my Irish roots, it was a natural fit. But it also captures something I’ve believed for 30 years, working across broadcast journalism, energy, and with the public and private sectors: the most important work happens within the connections between people.
That’s what Nasc Consulting is built to do. Help organizations and municipalities navigate complexity, build the right relationships, and find the connections with stakeholders to help ensure projects come to fruition. Lately that means one thing more than any other: helping Wisconsin communities get ready for data centers and the infrastructure that follows. I've been on the other side of a $700 million siting process. I know what's coming at you.
"The single thread that binds all of my experience together is this: connections and relationships matter, perhaps more than anything else."LET’S TALK
ABOUT NASC CONSULTING
I spent the first 15 years of my career in broadcast news — as a photojournalist, newscast producer, and eventually running television newsrooms. Those years taught me something I’ve carried into every room since: how to listen and discern, to find the story that actually matters, and how to tell it in a way people can hear on the first pass.
The next 15 plus took me into the corporate world, spanning communications, customer experience, and economic development. But some of the most meaningful work happened outside the office: on boards, in community organizations, and in volunteer roles where real relationships are built between an organization and its community.
“That combination — both sides of the table, for more than three decades — is what I bring to Nasc Consulting.”
INSIGHTS
August 11, 2026
A $12 billion data center proposal moved through DeForest, Wisconsin in under four months and collapsed. Neither side got what it wanted. Five structural gaps made the sprint feel inevitable, and every one of them is fixable before the next proposal arrives.
Read more →WHAT I DO
"I help organizations navigate challenges that don’t have easy answers — the ones that require the right relationships, the right message, and someone who’s been in the room before."
Competing interests don’t always mean irreconcilable differences. Usually it means people can’t see or hear each other clearly. I help get everyone to the same table, and keep them there, by helping to identify shared interests.
Good messaging isn’t about controlling the narrative. It’s about shaping one that lands with the people who actually need to hear it. I’ve been in the newsroom asking the hard questions and in the room figuring out how to answer them. That changes how you approach the work.
Growth doesn't happen in a vacuum. I connect the people, organizations, and opportunities that get something moving, and then I build the structure that keeps it moving after the introductions are over. The second part is the one most efforts skip.
Policy decisions are rarely just about the filing or the ordinance. They're about who's in the room, what they need to hear, and whether they trust you enough to hear it. I help you build that trust before the process starts, not after.
Data centers, generation, transmission. These projects arrive on a community's agenda fast and move faster, and by the time a proposal is public the questions people are asking are rarely the ones the application was written to answer. I've run external relations for a $700 million generating facility from announcement through approval. I know what lands on a village administrator's desk, and I know what it costs when the outreach starts too late.
Municipalities face a challenge most organizations don’t: delivering for constituents while managing relationships that pull in every direction. I’ve been in those rooms. I help you figure out who needs to be at the table, what they need from you, and how to move things forward without leaving people behind.
Interconnection, load growth, rate impact. The utility conversation is where a lot of siting decisions are actually settled, and it's usually the one a community is least equipped to have. I spent fifteen plus years inside two of Wisconsin's largest energy companies. I can tell you how that side of the table thinks, and what it will and won't move on.
WHO I SERVE
"The work looks different depending on the client — but the approach doesn’t change. Listen first. Find what actually matters. Build the connections that move things forward."
Companies navigating external change — utilities, professional services firms, and organizations in between — that need someone who understands both the “business” side and the needs of the community it operates within.
Mission-driven organizations that need to strengthen community ties, sharpen their message, or build deeper relationships with the people who matter most to them.
Cities and counties managing stakeholder processes, public communications, and community development. I’ve been on both sides of these conversations for years.
COMMUNITY AND CIVIC LEADERSHIP
"I’ve always believed that the best way to understand a community is to be part of it. Over the years, that’s meant showing up: on boards, in committee rooms, and even on the sidelines of youth sports."
Board and leadership roles supporting regional economic growth and the business community, including Dane County's Alliant Energy Center Redevelopment Committee.
Past Chair — Destination Madison Board of Directors. Focused on governance and advocacy connecting community identity with economic opportunity.
Civic engagement at the local level, building relationships that bridge organizations and the people they serve.
Volunteer coach and advocate — because showing up for your community sometimes means showing up on the sidelines.
Bridging educational institutions with community and workforce needs.
Active participation in forums and initiatives that move Wisconsin communities forward.
WHY NASC CONSULTING
I’ve spent 15 years as a journalist asking the hard questions, and the next 15 plus in the corporate world navigating them from the inside. That perspective is rare. It both informs and enriches the work.
Private sector, nonprofit, municipal, government — I’ve worked with all of them. Different rooms, same truth: connections and relationships matter more than anything else in uncovering common interests and deeper understanding.
I don’t just understand community dynamics — I’ve lived them. On boards, in committee rooms, and at the community table for 30 years. That changes how I show up, as it has given me a deeper understanding for how to first identify the right path for engagement and then how best to maximize deployment.
No spin. No jargon. I stay focused on the understanding that all sides need to be heard. This “all-way” approach to communication helps build rapport, show empathy, and ensure mutual understanding. Perhaps most importantly, I follow through after the room.
I don't work for a project. I work for the process being a fair one, which is a different thing. I've sat on the applicant's side of a major siting proceeding, and what I took from it is that the communities who do best are the ones who understood what was coming before it arrived. That's the work.
GET IN TOUCH
"I’ve been in those rooms. I know what it takes to build the links that matter."
Whether you’re navigating a complex stakeholder challenge, trying to get competing interests to see and hear each other clearly, or figuring out how to tell your story in a way that actually lands, I’d be glad to talk.