BBA, University of St. Francis
M.S., University of St. Francis
Having been born and raised in Morris, Illinois and graduating from Morris Community High School in 1973, I took a few years off from my formal schooling before beginning coursework at Joliet Junior College in 1980. In the summer of 1983, I transferred to the College of St. Francis where I majored in Business Administration and graduated in Spring of 1986 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration (BBA). In Spring of 1994, I began taking Addiction Counseling courses at Waubonsee Community College and earned my Certificate of Achievement in the Spring of 1997. I then returned to the University of St. Francis in the Fall semester of 1997 and graduated with a Master’s Degree in Health Service Administration (HSA) in the Spring of 2000.
Over the years, I have been employed in various fields including; auto mechanic, retail and wholesale sales, insurance sales, agriculture, longshoreman, computer programmer and lab assistant. In the early 1990’s I began working in the field of human services and now have over 25 years of experience in the field. I have worked as a Case Manager, Counselor, Clinical Supervisor, Program Director, Corporate Vice-President, Consultant, Presenter/Trainer and Educator. I have been employed at the University of St. Francis as the Program Coordinator and Instructor in the Substance Abuse Counseling program since January 2015.
I hold the following credentials through the Illinois Certification Board (ICB):
I am also a member of the Board of Directors of the Illinois Certification Board and have served as the President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer of their Executive Committee in the past. I have also served on the Board of Directors of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) and Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Will and Grundy Counties in the past. Currently, I am also a volunteer at the Rialto Square Theatre in Joliet.
Since Fall of 2017, I have been the host of “Uncle Lar’s Eclectic Radiophonic Extravaganza” a radio show which runs every Thursday night from 10:00 PM until Midnight on 88.7 FM WCSF radio and streaming on the internet at wsf.streamon.fm
On the show, you can hear the best in music from classic rock, progressive rock and metal to jazz, American roots, country, blues and soul. You never know what you will hear but it is always fun!
Of all the things I have done in my life, teaching here at USF is, by far, the most rewarding! Of the Substance Abuse Counseling program course, I teach:
