About Grant
I grew up in Charlotte, taught high school history for four years and now help a nonprofit get more out of its technology.
The short version
I'm Grant, and I'm from Charlotte. I went to Oak Ridge Military Academy, studied history and social studies education at Appalachian State, then spent four years teaching AP U.S. History, Government and Economics at Northwestern High School in Rock Hill.
Real-world first
The thing I learned teaching is that people remember what they can connect to their own lives. So I taught supply and demand through ride-share surge pricing, and government through whatever was in the news that week. I still train adults the same way: I start with the problem they actually have, and the tool comes second.
The questions and discussion throughout the activity made Supply and Demand real and applicable to each and every student.
The year everything changed. Alexis and I got married, we moved across the country to Central Oregon and I started at NeighborImpact.
Out west and back home
Central Oregon is where I found my footing in nonprofit tech, with Smith Rock and the Cascades as the backdrop. Now Alexis and I are back home in the Charlotte area, and I still work for NeighborImpact remotely. I train 300 staff on the tools they use every day, led our AI rollout from the first policy draft to 100+ licenses, run our volunteer program and chair the safety committee and Green Team. Most of those jobs come down to the same question: what would make this easier for the people doing it?
Alexis
Alexis is my wife and a Rock Hill native. We met in 2018, got married in 2022 and packed up for Oregon the same year. She teaches middle school math now, which makes her much braver than me.
The dogs
Our house is run by three girls. Drey, our first, is the boss: a deaf border collie and Aussie mix from Columbia, SC, who goes everywhere I go. Luna is the sweetheart, a golden retriever and husky mix from Monroe, NC. Rashida is the youngest and the rowdiest, from San Bernardino, CA. Meet them properly.
What I build on the side
I build tools I wish existed. This website, my blood draw app Squeeze Play and a pile of Jotform workflows all started as a problem I wanted solved, and AI is a big part of how I get from idea to something that works. I've never taken a computer science class. Most of what I build starts with being annoyed by something and wondering if there's a better way. See what I've built.
Off the clock
I'm usually running, swimming laps or out on a trail with the dogs. I'm a history nerd and a politics junkie, a strategy gamer, a classical music fan and a sucker for a good Robert Langdon novel. I've been vegan for more than 10 years, and I'm a Carolina Panthers fan, for better or worse. I'm also a hopeless podcast junkie. See what I'm listening to.
