Kurtis was born into an Air Force family, moving every two years, but considers his current city, San Diego, as his home town. He has a BA in English from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale Illinois, and an MBA from Benedictine University in Lisle, Illinois. He worked in Information Technology for thirty-four years as a coder and project manager.
He learned about the HEART in Haiti School, through two friends who have been supporting the school for several years. He and his spouse Kathy visited the school in January 2016 and were impressed. They took on the maintenance of the school’s website in April 2016.
