My parents gave me the love of reading at an early age. My childhood heroes came from books, my love of science as well. Reading proficiency opens up so many doors to our lives. It teaches us about other cultures and peoples and broadens our view of the world. As a young man I never dreamed I'd one day work on the teams that helped to build the space shuttle, the Hubble telescope and the International Space Station.

I've enjoyed a leadership role in training and developing people in great ...