Brian was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. The youngest of three boys, his parents divorced when he was very young and he was raised in a single-parent home. Because his mom worked hard outside the home to support her three sons, little energy was left to attend church or to be involved in activities. After his mom remarried, his family moved to Oxford, Ohio, where his older brother, who had become a Christian, was involved in helping to lead Young Life at Brian’s high school. During this time, Brian clearly understood for the first time that God had created him to be in relationship with Himself, but his sin separated him from God. He heard the incredible news that “God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners” (Romans 5:8). Brian trusted in Christ as his Lord and Savior at the age of 14.
Brian attended Miami University in Oxford and graduated with a B.S. in aeronautics. He received his commission in the U.S. Navy and served as a naval aviator, flying the P-3 Orion aircraft. He flew for Trans World Airlines from 1990-1995. In 1996, he was hired by United Airlines, where he currently flies as an Airbus A-320 Captain.
During college and his time in the Navy, Brian was deeply influenced by and involved in ministry with The Navigators, eventually serving as associate staff. After his active duty commitment, he and his wife Sharie moved back to Northern Virginia, where he flew for TWA and continued serving in the Naval Reserve. During this time, he served as a deacon with Cherrydale Baptist Church in Arlington, the church where Sharie grew up and where her great-grandmother was a charter member when the church was started, nearly 100 years ago. Continuing that heritage, Brian and Sharie were part of a team from Cherrydale that started a church plant in Ashburn, where he served as an elder. Brian and his family have been attending Reston Bible Church since 2008. He is currently serving with the Starting Point ministry, and he and his family were part of a team from RBC that served in Croatia.
Brian has had the incredible privilege of being married to Sharie since 1987 and they have been blessed with a wonderful son and daughter, Michael and Amy.