Gann Family
 
I live in Herndon Virginia, with my lovely wife [Melanie] and three children [Masha 17, Dimitri 13, and Lucy 13]. I am fondly (?) known around the house as "Grumpy", as would be any man my age trying to put up with the antics of my three children. Rest assured that while in the work environment, I am much less grumpy than I am at home.
 
We live in a hundred year old house, which is a constant source of creative (and non-creative) projects. We have a cat [Cooper], which I seem to have full responsibility for caring for [i.e., one of the reasons I am Grumpy, but this is getting better].
 
I was raised as an army brat. I spent different parts of my childhood in the Panama Canal Zone, San Francisco, Springfield, Missouri, and Alexandria Virginia. I'm not sure what being an army brat prepared me for in life. Maybe it helped in being to adapt to change. Maybe it just made me surer I wanted to settle down and stay in one place. I know I want to provide this for my own children.
 
On a personal level, some of what is most important about my work is the relationships I am able to form. Most of my closest friendships began at work. I believe that work can be satisfying and stimulating on a professional and personal basis. This is one of the reasons that I believe I am a good team builder.
 
If I had to identify what I consider most important in life, these would be my top three:
  • Honesty and Integrity: Commitment to these must be total.
  • The Golden Rule: Treat other people the way that you want to be treated - with respect.
  • Never assume anything: There is always more to learn and understand about every situation. Listen well.
That about sums me up. I don't play an instrument, I sing terribly [as my wife continues to remind me], I like gardening and working on house projects. This may not make me interesting to all, but I am a mean contender at trivial pursuit.