Franklin Randolph “Rand” Knight, Jr. was born in Atlanta, GA as the first son of Judy Mozen and Randy Knight. His roots in Georgia go back more than 300 years, and his mother’s family can be traced all the way back to the Jamestown settlement. Truly a son of Georgia, Rand developed a love for nature swimming and fishing in Georgia’s lakes and marshes and hiking and camping in the mountains and forests. Rand’s upbringing and family history also instilled in him the value of education, public service, and hard work. With the help of loans and financial aid, he attended The Westminster Schools in Atlanta from kindergarten through graduation. Rand spent his breaks working as a carpenter’s apprentice, camping with his family, or visiting family in Brunswick, where his grandfather ran a butcher’s shop and delivered milk.After graduating from Westminster, Rand attended Middlebury College in Vermont, but first he spent a summer interning under the Vice President of Environmental Policy at Turner Productions while also selling clothes at Rich’s and working as a cook at Applebees. While attending Middlebury, Rand continued working several jobs in order to help pay his way through school. He worked 30 hours a week for Apple Computer, was a spokesperson for Middlebury at recruiting events, and was active in student government, while earning a degree in Environmental Studies. Rand studied for his Master’s Degree at the University of Washington in Seattle from 1996 to 1998, and it was during this time that he had his first taste of entrepreneurship, starting a sustainable development business with a classmate. After working for several years as an ecologist with the US Forest Service and as a manager and systems analyst in the private sector, Rand continued his formal education and earned a Ph.D. in Ecosystems Analysis at the University of Washington in 2003.
In his years as an ecologist and technology consultant, Rand has developed a skill for diagnosing difficult problems and proposing innovative solutions. Of all the skills he’s gained through his many years of education and experience, Rand counts listening as the most important. Listening carefully and thoughtfully is absolutely key for him to really understand the problem, craft the solution, and understand how to implement it in the most beneficial way for everyone. Now Rand is ready to use his expertise and problem solving experience in the service of his home state, following in the footsteps of his hero, Senator Sam Nunn, who he met several times, first in 1984 and then several times in high-school while on week-long scholarships with the Close-Up program in Washington D.C.