Jonathan’s presentations are the result of heart-felt experience, critical thought and an
unbridled passion to help others achieve their full potential.
Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Jonathan is the last of four children, whose lives were
enveloped in poverty and homelessness. By the time he was 17 years old, he and his family
had lived in two homeless shelters, a church, a small fourth-floor attic, public housing projects
and a hotel, among many other places.
However, with his determination to ascend from poverty unaffected, he earned his
G.E.D. and obtained an associate’s degree in English and Communications at Allegheny
Community College. He went on to earn his bachelor’s degree in Journalism and
Communications from Point Park University where he graduated Cum Laude. Jonathan then
attended and graduated from Ohio State University College of Law.
He then practiced law at the Ohio Attorney General’s Office. During his 12-year-career
there, he served in a variety of leadership posts, including Deputy Attorney General and
Section Chief. He led several departments to achieve success. As a result, he was a recipient
of the Ohio Attorney General's Innovation and Excellence Award in 2005.
Jonathan is also an avid photographer. Pictures have intrigued him ever since he was a
child. While growing up, drawing pictures provided him with an escape from his life of poverty.
Later in life he became hooked on photography when he happened upon a 35 mm camera and
looked through the viewfinder. He was so enthralled that he studied photography as part of his
undergraduate major in communications.
Today Jonathan serves as CEO of Clear Picture Leadership®. He uses lessons learned
from his childhood, leadership skills honed throughout his career and the inspiration embodied
in his artwork to encourage leaders to achieve a “clear picture” vision. As Jonathan says,
“Picturing your destination is the first step to achieving something great.” Sometimes leaders
are tempted to cast aside an imaginative vision because it is deemed “unrealistic.” Yet – as his
tagline says – Jonathan challenges leaders with “a different perspective: Where imagination
and reality meet.

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