About the Author

I am not a politician, journalist, talk-show host, or pundit. Nor am I a lawyer, and I vow never to run for public office. I am an engineer by training. Engineers are problem solvers. I worked in various businesses defining problems, analyzing data, and developing solutions. I have worked in supply chain and manufacturing, design and construction, and corporate real estate. I am both an entrepreneur and intrapreneur, building consulting businesses that service clients in all industries.  I know what it means to make payroll, be in debt, and pay taxes. In short, I believe I am one of the tens of millions of normal, hardworking, get-up-every-day, and do-what-you-are-supposed-to-do Americans who care about the future of our country.

So how did I write The American Unity Plan?  At age sixty during the pandemic, I joined the great resignation. I always talked about retiring in my early 60s, and the pandemic turned a career on the road into a yearlong forced transition.  For the first time in my life I had no plan. I read a lot about philosophy, sociology, history, economics, finance, government, public policy, and politics when I can stand it. I began to think about the greatest problems facing our country and searched for a solution. I found only proposals based on ideology. I started with the objective of creating a solution that could be supported across the political landscape. With no end state in mind and without being sure a solution was even possible, I simply began to define, research, analyze, organize, and write. I had no plan to become an author. I hope the American Unity Plan becomes a reality.

Alan and his wife Ann have four great adult children who vote along the entire political spectrum and some probably not at all. Ann retired as a workplace strategist in corporate real estate and is now a small business owner. They live in Greenville, SC.