He is the son of a former Liberian ambassador to the United States. He was born in Liberia and moved to the United States in 1956. He attending Yale and then Harvard Law School, he returned to Liberia to work in the finance department under then President William R. Tolbert and was part of a team that helped renegotiate the 1976 concession contract with Firestone. He was retained by Firestone in 1990 after rebels seized control of the plantation. He served as a key consultant in the company’s efforts to regain control of its plantation and restart operations. He works today as an attorney based in Denver who specializes in international law.