Bob graduated from the University of Iowa in 1986 with a BS in engineering (mechanical) and completed an MS in mechanical engineering at the University of Minnesota in 1988. During his time at Iowa, he was inducted into the Tau Beta Pi and Pi Tau Sigma honor societies.

After graduating from Iowa, Bob began his career in the digital storage industry as a mechanical engineer for Seagate Technology. Over nearly 30 years in the industry, he held various senior-level engineering and operations positions, including an expatriate assignment in Singapore for several years. In the last decade of his career, Bob served as executive vice president and chief technology officer. During this time, he oversaw all R&D and operations, managing a workforce of approximately 45,000 people. His responsibilities included global product design, research, hard disk drive manufacturing operations, materials, and corporate quality.

In 2009, Bob was inducted into the Iowa Distinguished Engineering Alumni Academy. Since retiring from Seagate in 2015, he has been involved with numerous early-stage companies as a board member and investor. These companies span a wide range of industries, from cycling to cloud storage. Bob also served on the Iowa College of Engineering advisory board for more than 10 years.

Bob has been married to his wife Molly (84BSN) for 40 years, and they have two children and five grandchildren. He enjoys golfing, cycling, traveling, and managing their 125-acre forest in northern Wisconsin. Bob and Molly split their time between Scottsdale, Arizona, and northwestern Wisconsin.