About Todd Carpenter
Why does a 60-year-old go back to college?
I'm asked that question every time I tell people who I am and what I do. The reply always involves sharing my journey and my beliefs about service.
I grew up as an army brat, so I lived all over the world. I had a failed attempt at higher education in 1982 and somehow found myself in the United Kingdom. I bounced around for a few years doing freelance marketing in Europe's incentives and promotions industry. I finally settled back in the UK and founded the Travel Trust Association Ltd (TTA) in 1993 with a business partner.
TTA provided a novel method for financial risk management in the UK travel industry, utilizing trust and escrow accounts. I had a rich role involving the intersection of regulation, risk management, acquisitions, and corporate management for nearly years, but in 2008, I sold the company to a venture capital group. I had two primary reasons for doing this: I wanted to return home to the US after 20 years in Europe and spend as much time as possible with my children while they were young, and I wanted to be around them.
I went from being an industry captain to a full-time stay-at-home dad and football coach. I was drawn into coaching because, like business, it is about people. I coached at the youth level, as well as both junior varsity and varsity, at the high school level. I have been an assistant and a head coach for multiple years. Coaching, teaching, and working with young people is about helping them grow and develop success off the field, and is the secret to success.
I quickly realized I was not coaching football but helping build young people for others. It also occurred to me that many young people make life-altering decisions without fully understanding the consequences. I committed to helping these student-athletes attend college, not just to play football, but to pursue an education. I have always been very open in sharing my life experiences with my players and students. I believe that young men benefit from understanding the successes and failures of others. More than one student in my circle pointed out that I didn't have a college degree, yet I did all right. I had no reply to this admonishment.
I decided then and there that if I were committed to lifelong learning and believed in goal fulfillment, I would need to "walk the talk." So, at 56 years old, I gathered my transcripts from that failed attempt at higher education and enrolled in Valencia College's Paralegal Studies program. In 18 months, I earned my Associate in Science degree for Paralegal Studies and an Associate in Arts degree for General Studies. I transferred to the University of Central Florida for my Bachelor of Arts in Legal Studies. All while working full-time as a remote paralegal for a criminal defense attorney in California. I am currently enrolled at Florida State University, pursuing my Master's degree in Risk Management and Insurance.
My mission has not changed one iota. I want to be of service to others. I understand how to build teams, when to lead, and when to follow. Everything I have achieved in my life, I have received because I helped others get what they needed. I want to continue serving and helping others achieve their goals and improve their lives, while also achieving my own. I have dedicated my life to the pursuit of knowledge, self-awareness, and helping others do the same.
