Chico Unified School District

I was born and raised just up the mountain from Chico in the small timber town of Chester, California. My family roots in that area can be traced back as far back as the 1800's. My extended family in the Lake Almanor basin is made up of blue-collar workers: building contractors, small business owners, nurses, teachers, wildland firefighters, members of the military, food services workers, a forester, an engineer, as well as stay-at-home parents. I have grown up understanding the many perspectives of people and believe our local representation should reflect the diversity of its constituents.

 

I graduated from Chester Jr/Sr High School in 2003 and attended UC Davis to earn my Bachelor of Science in Biotechnology. After completing my undergraduate studies in 2007, I moved back to Chester and began coaching basketball and substitute teaching. Excited by working with our youth every day, I decided to further my career working with teens and became a science teacher. I attended CSU Chico for my teaching credential and completed my certification as an intern at Chester Jr/Sr High school. I spent 4 years teaching 7-12th grade science in a variety of courses in nearly every scientific topic. In 2013 I moved to Chico to teach at Marsh Junior High School, where I have continuously grown in my profession and as a teacher-leader in our community. In 2019, I completed my Master of Science degree in Land Resources and Environmental Science from Montana State University. My focus was on timber land management and watershed restoration. The program was primarily online, and that gave me a whole new perspective on how to best teach my students, as well as perspective for what the potential holds for remote learning.

 

While many challenges have occurred in our society this year, 2020 has presented opportunities for self-reflection and growth among all the changes to our everyday lives. A bright point during this time was the birth of my daughter in February, and I am excited as to what the positive changes may mean for her future. I have always been a champion of the people, lending my voice to those who feel they don't have a place to speak or who may be too timid to stand up for themselves. I am not afraid to roll up my sleeves and go to work for something I believe in. I intend to do just that for our students, families, and staff of Chico Unified School district and by extension our Chico area communities during my term as a Governing Board Member.

 

 

Born and raised in Chico, I grew up attending Parkview Elementary, Chico Junior, and Chico High.  I was actually a student at Parkview the year we got our mascot and became “Home of the Panthers.” As a young student I was a bit of a daydreamer and squirmed in my seat a lot. Later in Jr. High and High School I competed on the Chico High Ski Team.

 

After graduating from Chico High in 1991 I attended Chico State, where I ultimately graduated with a BA in Speech Communication in 1995. I spent my Junior year in college abroad, studying for one year at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, where I studied Hebrew Language, Middle-Eastern politics and Middle-Eastern history. That year was very formative for me, allowing many opportunities to expand my personal horizons and see the world.

 

I am now a 3rd generation farmer who uses a shovel and many other tools and machines on an almost daily basis. I also in the past few years obtained my most impressive post-graduate credential, which was surprisingly difficult to obtain – A Class A Commercial Driver’s License (CDL), which means I can drive big rigs!

 

I now live near downtown Chico with my lovely wife and our four beautiful children.  I serve on the Butte County Water Commission and the County Farm Bureau Board of Directors.  I’m very proud to serve on the Governing Board of the Chico Unified School District, and help shape our collective future through the powerful tool of education on the local level.