I was born and raised right here, and I'm a proud product of our local public schools, growing up through North Buncombe. Today I'm a dad with two kids in Asheville City Schools — a ninth grader at Asheville High School and a fourth grader at Isaac Dickson Elementary. Like a lot of ACS families, I've watched the direction of this district with growing frustration, and I've decided that showing up and speaking out isn't enough anymore.

When Montford North Star Academy was closed, my family lived it firsthand. We did everything parents are supposed to do — we showed up for the meetings, we spoke up, we sent the emails. And we did not feel heard. That experience is a big part of why I'm running: no family in this district should ever feel like the decisions that shape their children's lives are being made without them.

For more than twenty years, I've worked in the mental health field, serving people from every walk of life in our community — business owners, working families, people experiencing homelessness, and everyone in between. That work has taught me how to listen, how to earn trust, and how to bring people together around hard problems. People across Asheville know that when they bring me a concern, they'll find an open ear — and that's exactly what I'll bring to the school board.

You'll find me all over this community — with my kids at their schools, their orchestra performances, and their extracurriculars; at First Baptist Church downtown; and out and about in West Asheville, where we live. Hearing from a broad cross-section of Asheville isn't something I'd have to start doing as a board member. It's already how I live.

When I'm not chasing after two busy kids, I'm happiest outside — gardening, hiking, and looking after our very full house: four golden retrievers, a flock of chickens, and the cats. My wife Courtney and I are raising our family in the same community that raised me, and I want Asheville City Schools to be the district every family is proud to choose.