I am a teacher who sees education as core to counsel.

Currently I serve as president of Wise Counsel Research (www.wisecounselresearch.org), a public charity I founded devoted to understanding the role of wisdom in contemporary life. I am also a consultant in Larkmeadow, a practice that helps people with significant resources find wise counsel.

Prior to these efforts, I was a Managing Director at Wells Fargo’s family office division, where I founded and led the Family Dynamics Practice. For many years, I taught political philosophy at Boston College, served as trustee for a variety of personal and charitable trusts, and directed a private foundation. I remain a Research Fellow at Boston College’s Center on Wealth and Philanthropy.

My writings and commentary have appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Financial Times, Philanthropy Magazine, and many other publications. My most recent book, Wealth and the Will of God, appeared in early 2010 from Indiana University Press.

I hold a Ph.D. in Social Thought from the University of Chicago and a BA and MA in Classics and Philosophy from Boston University.


Defining Wisdom Project Description

Scholars, business leaders, wealth-holders, philanthropists, advisors, and others have shown intense interest in our core questions: What is wise counsel? How can one find it? And how best can one give it? The interviews in this study (inspired by Aristotle’s vision of practical wisdom and Socrates’ manner of inquiry) detail answers within the field of wealth advising. The historical component of the research offers examples from literature, religion, and business. This study has also created a strong community, based at www.wisecounselresearch.org. In the future, this inquiry seeks to explore additional questions, including: What is the role of wisdom in the professions that give counsel? Can one speak about wisdom “professionally?” And what role does love, including love of wisdom, have within a profession?