Comments:
What a life it’s been!
Left NTW and went to West Point. Was tougher than I thought, but what an experience. I graduated in 1975 and became an Infantryman in the US Army. During my 22 years in the Army, I was a commander of infantry units (company, battalion & brigade), a special assistant to the Army’s senior leadership and an IT guy. Was in NYC at Columbia University and got a Ph.D. in organizational psychology before going back to West Point to teach leadership and psychology. From 1995 to 1997, I served as a chief information officer (CIO) on the Army staff where I completed large-scale technology migration programs.
Retired from the Army in 1997 as a colonel and moved to an executive search career on Wall Street in NYC. For five years, I was a Partner in Korn/Ferry International’s New York office and a member of the firm’s advanced technology practice. I have focused on placing IT and IT services talent in companies like Bank of America, ITT Industries, JP Morgan Chase, McGraw-Hill, Visa and Wells Fargo. I have also placed sales, services and product development executives in companies like CA, Inc. (Computer Associates), Cisco, and Satyam Computer Services.
I performed similar search work at Heidrick & Struggles (the other public search firm) for four years.
9/11 was a truly horrific event. Was on the site of WTC 4 that night and the next day. I still can’t go down to that end of NYC any more.
Today, I have a modest business, Cage Talent. We conduct financial services, technology, IT services and other searches for corporations, nonprofits and wealthy families. Working deeply with, for example, E*TRADE. For the last three years, have also worked for the US Department of State (Leadership: Getting things done in rough conditions) and have conducted three-day workshops for people from 75 countries, from Albania to Vietnam (come on Zambia!). We also do lots of search and organizational development work for the USO – the group that helps soldiers, sailors, Marines and Wounded Warriors; go to uso.org.
Cindy Cage (who graduated from NTW in 71) and I were married in 1977 and had two great kids, Catherine (1984) and Anna (1990). Cindy and Catherine work in the same school in Brooklyn – Mrs. Cage and Ms. Cage. Cindy and I divorced after the Millennium.
Laura Larson and I were married in 2005 and work together. She’s a University of Illinois grad and lived in Chicago before moving to NYC. Due to the USO work, she just came back from Kuwait and Afghanistan.
For five years, I have been listed in The Marquis Who’s Who of America next to "my cousin" Nicholas Cage.
New Trier was an important part of my life. I feel so lucky that I got to be there with you.
