Alan and his wife Cynthia retired to Fountain Hills in 2006 following careers in Washington, D.C. 

Having a passion for community engagement, Alan has participated in a number of committees including as chair of the Strategic Planning Advisory Commission (SPAC). 

The SPAC plan has been adopted and implemented by the town and serves as a guide for ongoing community direction.

In his spare time Alan served eight years on the Town Council and is a member of the Board of Directors of the International Dark Sky Discovery Center. An award-winning nature photographer, he has participated in every Chamber Fountain Festival of the Arts since 2008. He continues to show his work at art fairs throughout Arizona.

Alan retired as president and CEO of the Health Industry Manufacturers Association. Prior to that, he was founder and president of the Council on Competitiveness, served as director of intergovernmental relations at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and was policy director at the International City Management Association. He also was elected to two terms on the Board of Supervisors of Fairfax County, Virginia. He received his Ph.D. in political science from the University of Maryland in 1976.