About Me

I was born in 1988, the same year the INF Treaty and the Fair Trade Agreement were signed, and NASA Space Shuttles resumed after the Challenger explosion. I was born in Webster, TX and grew up in the small village of Algoa, TX in Galveston County. My Mom Holly raised me and my sister by herself, and sacrificed tremendously to give us a good life. We didn't have much in the way of material stuff, but we were loved fully, and I never doubted the pride my Mom had in us.

Childhood was playing kickball with the neighbors, riding go-karts and 4-wheelers, creating all the science fair projects in the book Mom bought me, Mario 3 on the NES, and swimming past the sand bars on Galveston Island. I learned to swim at three at Maryland Day Care, and I am still friends with the guys I met there.

I went to Santa Fe ISD, home of the Fighting Indians. I played guard and tackle as a Santa Fe Brave, and right outfield as a Royal, an Athletic, and a Rebel.

I played clarinet in the Santa Fe Marching Band, was enrolled in AP classes, strengthened my love of reading and etymology, and graduated in the top 7% of my class.

I was accepted by and attended college at the University of Texas at Austin. I got my bachelor's in Sociology, where I studied social stratification and centered my capstone project around the relationship between family structure and educational attainment. I returned to UT to get a dual master's in Public Affairs from the LBJ School and Community and Regional Planning from the School of Architecture. My studies taught me how people behave in groups and how that behavior is affected by laws at the federal, state, and local levels, as well as by the built environment. I was also a member of my neighborhood association, where I secured a municipal grant to implement a multi-modal street improvement project that made it safer for the walkers, joggers, cyclists, and drivers who share the artery.

After college, I moved to Seattle, Washington and worked for the Service Employees International Union, where I advocated for better wages and working conditions for service workers such as janitors, security guards, and airport workers. With the Union, I researched wage structures, interviewed workers, and helped organize protests. I also helped to enforce SeaTac's $15 an hour minimum wage, the highest in the country at the time. I was in the room when workers received checks for tens of thousands of dollars of back-pay due to them, and I was very proud to work for SEIU.

I moved back to the sunshine of Texas and worked for the City of Austin for eight years. During that time, I helped educate the public about recycling, composting, and waste reduction and diverted tens of thousands of pounds of resources from the landfill. I helped update the Watershed Protection Department's strategic plan to protect Austin's natural water bodies. I ensured sustainable development and affordable housing by enforcing the City's Land Development Code as a site planner. During this time, I was an active member of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) union.

I met my wife Jess at a nature walk in the Riverside neighborhood during this time. A fellow nature lover, Jess and I started playing Dungeons and Dragons, saw music at the Far Out Lounge and Emo's, and volunteered as recycling sorters at ACL (the best way to get in free). We also camp at the Texas Renaissance Festival and Sherwood Forest Faire every season.

We went to the Mermaid Festival in San Marcos and fell in love with the town. It has the chill, small-town charm and community I loved about Santa Fe, combined with the creative energy, festivals, and philosophy of a college town. And a River that is 72° year-round! We moved to San Marcos in 2023. The civic community is strong here, and I joined the Lions Club, where I serve on the Grants Committee, the Civics Club where I am advocating for a San Marcos Tenant Bill of Rights, and served as a Neighborhood Commissioner where I helped improve street safety.

Around the same time, I accepted a position with the Texas General Land Office. Nestled between the Capitol and Blanton Museum, I help Texans build back better after natural disasters such as hurricanes, flooding, and wildfires. We receive federal funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and distribute that funding to communities that suffered damage to housing and infrastructure. We have helped tens of thousands of Texans through raising elevations, installing drainage infrastructure, and implementing hazard mitigation plans.

While at the GLO, I joined the Texas State Employees Union (TSEU) and have gone before Texas House and Senate members and committees advocating for higher wages and telework.

I am a member of the San Marcos Area Democrats where we share information, hear from elected officials, and organize. I have also been helping out with Stand Up San Marcos, a chapter of Indivisible, where we celebrate democracy and the Constitution.

I love being at the River, going to the movies, concerts, and plays, smoking salmon, gardening, watching the Longhorns, Texans, and Astros, and riding rollercoasters at Six Flags. I am also an avid reader of all genres.

I love this planet, this country, this state, this county, this city, this neighborhood, and this street. And I believe that protection is an aspect of love.