I love Clark County and live in Camas with my wife Paula and our two girls, along with Whiskers the cat, Hazel the pudelpointer, and four chickens. We have lived in the Pacific Northwest for over 20 years.

​

I grew up in Minnesota going to church and hunting and fishing with my dad. Those two things influenced most everything I have done since then. My father was a truck driver, pastor, and counselor. My mom was a teacher until she decided to stay home with me and my two little sisters.

 

In my youth I was a baseball pitcher and went to State in swimming and tennis. I also loved playing the piano, had lead roles in my high school musicals, and became an Eagle Scout. I attended Dartmouth College and became the President of the oldest hunting and fishing college club in the nation -- Bait & Bullet. I majored in biology, rowed crew, sang in the acapella group Dartmouth Aires, and graduated cum laude in 1996.

 

After getting a Masters of Public Administration at the Maxwell School of Public Affairs, I went to Washington DC in 1997 and worked on a passion of mine – waterfowl and wetlands issues. Starting in 1999, I worked in Congress as a Senior Advisor to Democrats, Republicans and Independents for agricultural and natural resources issues. Eventually I made my way to the Pacific Northwest and became a Park Ranger at Crater Lake National Park. I met my wife Paula while we both were working at National Wildlife Federation. We have lived in Seattle, Bend, and Milwaukie before moving into our first home in Clark County, in unincorporated Fern Prairie.

 

When our girls were born, I had the opportunity to be an at-home dad for three years so that my wife could pursue a dream career change. Paula currently works at the Banfield Foundation to make veterinary care accessible to vulnerable pets and people, and I currently work at Ducks Unlimited conserving wetlands. I also run a nonprofit business called World Salmon Council that leads a youth education program called Salmon Watch in our local schools. Paula and I recently celebrated 17 years of marriage.

 

I am passionate about hunting and fishing and enjoy heading into the outdoors to pursue wild game with my bow, muzzleloader, rifle, or shotgun, or with a fly or spinning rod. I proudly serve as the Board Policy Chair of the Washington Backcountry Hunters and Anglers and am co-chair and founder of the new Washington Fish and Wildlife Conservation Partnership (wa-conservation.org).

 

I am a confirmed and baptized Christian and member of our local Grace Church. I believe strongly in separation of church and state, but my faith -- and God’s grace -- influences every part of my leadership. I strive to lead with humility, empathy, and compassion. I respect (and enjoy hearing) all opinions, whether they are right or left, up or down, or anywhere in between. I believe in treating everyone with respect. This is why I am an independent nonpartisan candidate. I will represent you and your interests to the best of my ability and I am honored to have this opportunity to potentially influence County priorities and public policy to benefit families, businesses, farmers and our community.