I met Bob (commonly known as “Bahb”) when I was 18 and recently hired for a Newseum internship. He had own printing business and was having a bit of an adventure. He was brilliant, eccentric and full of energy. He was disruptive in the good way long before it was a thing and told me that if I wasn’t causing trouble, I wasn’t doing my job right.
I was a bit of a rule follower. Bob pushed me to ask tough questions, offer solutions, use back channels and to always ask for forgiveness instead of permission. He nurtured my wacky and disruptive spirit and taught me to not be afraid to try. I am eternally grateful to him, so I keep my eyes out for people coming out of school who need a little bit of the Bob touch.
Image: The ceiling from the old Newseum offices in Rosslyn, Va.