Both of my parents were in professions that involved the practical application of science: engineering in my father's case, medicine in my mother's.
My father was a mechanical engineer, first at Chrysler and then as a rocket engineer at Rocketdyne, working on the J-2 engines for the second stage of the Saturn V moon rocket. My mother was a registered nurse, a profession she practiced throughout her life.
Both were also entrepreneurs, starting and successfully growing two different businesses together while I was growing up.
A kind but demanding man, my father expected all his children (boys and girls) to understand not only how things work, but how to fix them as well. He taught me how to diagnose problems, to evaluate alternative solutions, and then how to roll up my sleeves and do the work to solve the problem. As a result, I developed what I see as one of the greatest strengths I bring to any organization: the ability to integrate the conceptual and the practical.
I studied biology and philosophy as an undergraduate and earned a Ph.D. in philosophy at Yale University. In both of these disciplines, the views and arguments of different people are brought to bear on a common problem. This training reinforced the importance of carefully analyzing a problem, understanding the larger context, and listening to and respecting conflicting points of view. It was my experience as a philosophy professor that honed my abilities to communicate my understanding to other in ways that are straightforward and clear.
I first met the challenge of managing others after I left teaching and started working as the Director of Telemarketing at Connecticut Savings Bank. By the summer of 1987 I had been promoted to Investment Services Officer at the bank, whose customers were mostly first time investors. On "Black Monday" that October, many of our customers panicked. Despite this, I was able to retain over 75% of those who wanted to close their accounts, thereby preserving nearly $5 million in assets.
My first experience as an entrepreneur after leaving home was as founder and Director of Film Fest New Haven, an all volunteer
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Kenneth L. Buck
Tank Sargent, U.S. Army, Berlin
Automobile Test Engineer, Chyrsler Corporation
Rocket Engineer, J-2 Engines, Saturn V Moon Rocket, Rocketdyne
SCCA Formula A Race Car Driver
Business Owner
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Lucille Buck
Registered Nurse
Amateur Pianist
Business Owner
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not-for-profit independent film festival in Connecticut. There had been several failed attempts to start such a festival in the area, but I was convinced I could be successful despite the obstacles that had defeated others.
One such challenge was recruiting and motivating volunteers who gave significant amounts of their time with no pay. I learned a great deal about what motivates people to invest themselves in a project and stick with the often difficult work in the absence of a monetary reward.
The festival was a success. While working a fulltime day job, I was able in six months to build the organization from scratch, acquiring the volunteers, the films, the audience and the sponsorship money needed to produce the first annual event. I led this organization for three years, growing it each year, until it reached a budget of $60,000, occupied three different venues, and presented over fifty films.
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