Being an ethical person is important to me, and I think it’s useful to know where people are coming from. I’ve maintained this page since 2014, when I first came across the Ethics Statement of journalist Kara Swisher.

I was so impressed by her forthrightness and transparency that I knew I wanted to copy her style. At the time, I was Executive Director of Smart Chicago Collaborative, responsible in part for spending money provided to the City of Chicago by the federal government via the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program. Given this position, and the pop culture understanding of Chicago being a place of corruption, I thought it important to lay it out there.

As I moved on in my career, I kept the page and updated it with new information like job changes, employing my children, forming new ventures, and so on, even though I no longer had a semi-public position. Each time I modified the page, I started with the same sentence:  “Being an ethical person is important to me, and I think it’s useful to know where people are coming from”

I’ve decided to change the focus from “being an ethical person” to making sure people knew where I was coming from. Basically it felt like I was holding myself out as a more ethical person than the average bear, than the people reading this statement, than you. I assure you I am not– I have had personal failings that no one would call ethical. None of those failings have affected how anyone should view my professional career.

With that, here’s current info for me:

FAMILY

• I am married to Shawn-Laree O’Neil, who runs her own public relations business. There is no overlap between her clients and the entities from which I generate income
• In the past, I’ve employed each of my children as an intern, contractor, and / or employee at various time. In each instance, they were qualified for the position, the relationship was disclosed, and they were managed by others
• I have no financial dealings with my family of origin

PROFESSIONAL

• I am the sole proprietor of Civic Operator, LLC, my ethnographic management consulting practice
• Previously I was the CEO of Elevation Software Holdings, LLC (Civic Elevator), a maker of enterprise software for the vertical transportation industry. I retain a minority ownership interest in the company. See Linkedin for all previous professional positions

BOARD & ADVISORY WORK

• I am a Director of Voqal, which works to “advance social equity by supporting nonprofit organizations and individuals that use technology and media to build an educated, empowered and engaged public”. My work at Voqal has a particular focus on Chicago, where we have a grant program. and do events. Voqal is a foundation partner of Mobile Citizen, a service that provides low-cost mobile Internet exclusively for schools and nonprofit organizations. I also serve on the Finance Committee of the EBS Financial Advisory Committee in connection with my work at Voqal. I receive no compensation for this service,
• I am a technical advisor to Abstract, a makes of “the tools necessary to influence legislation, and keep stakeholders aligned, all in one place“

PERSONAL

• I am a recovering alcoholic and have been a member of Alcoholics Anonymous since September 10, 2000. I seek to practice these principles in all of my affairs
• I am a member of the Catholic Church
• Like everybody else, you can tell a lot about me from the company I keep. I’m not the world’s biggest retweeter of things, but the normal admonitions apply. I’ve never understood the idea that “opinions are my own”. Of course they are