Jack was born and raised in the South Hills of Pittsburgh. He attended the Pennsylvania State University where he earned a degree in Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering with Highest Distinction, while competing as a four-year varsity athlete.
He has been married to Kathy since 1983. They have three adult children and two grandsons. After graduating from college, Jack spent a year abroad in Tunisia, where he studied French and Arabic. He also holds a degree in Modern Standard Arabic from the Bourgiba Institute in Tunis as well as one in French Language and Civilization from the Sorbonne in Paris. He then worked for a Christian non-profit in Paris for eight years. In 1992, Jack moved to Casablanca where he lived until 2010. During his time in Casablanca, among other projects, he helped introduce the Internet to Morocco (1994) and founded the largest American school in the region (1998) that now has 1,000 students: George Washington Academy. On September 16, 2001, Jack helped organize and participated in a memorial ceremony in St. Peter's Cathedral in Rabat, Morocco that was attended by high level Moroccan government officials and clergy. It was the only event like it in the Arab world. In December 2012, Jack was inducted into the Bethel Park Athletic Hall of Fame for his accomplishments in Rifle Shooting. From 2011 to 2020 Jack lived in the Washington, DC area where he led the George Washington Amity Series, and more recently Arab Y.E.S. During his time in Morocco and Washington, Jack was heavily involved in the Anglican church where he led and participated in many interfaith events involving high level Moroccan and US government officials and clergy. In November 2020, he relocated to the U.A.E. where he currently serves as the President of Arab Y.E.S. Along with Imam Mohamed Magid (of Washington DC), he has authored an article on how to best describe ISIS. ISIS is an Apocalyptic, Ultranationalistic, Genocidal, and Islamic Cult. |