About Me

I am a dad! I am an ACPS parent. I have two daughters — one at Naomi Brooks Elementary, and one who will start there in the fall of 2027. I am an Alexandria resident, and I love this city and my neighborhood. I do other things, but in my interest in running for School Board, this is what I’d like you to know about me.

A Family Rooted in Education

My family is steeped in education. I was myself a high school teacher in North Carolina, where I taught Biology, Chemistry, Algebra, Geometry, and Computer Science at a small school for about three and a half years. I was also an instructor at Duke University after I got my PhD in Earth and Ocean Sciences, specializing in energy economics. I spent several summers working for Duke’s Talent Identification Program, a gifted education camp for high schoolers. My father was Dean of Students at what is now Lynchburg University, and my mother worked as a school psychologist before going back to get her degree in math; she now teaches math education to future teachers. My wife’s parents both work at the University of Illinois in Champagne-Urbana. My brother and sister both worked in education, and two of my sisters-in-law are teachers as well. I love school and I love teachers.

A Varied Career

I have had a varied career. In undergrad, I majored in Earth and Ocean Sciences at Duke University while on an NROTC scholarship and was commissioned as an officer upon graduation. I spent about a year on active duty, but it turns out I was not medically qualified for sea duty! I had to spend the remainder of my 8 years in the ready reserves. After active duty, I taught high school before returning to Duke to get my PhD. My published research includes techno-economic modeling of carbon capture and storage. I helped found a small startup in credit card security, starting a thread of technology work that continues to today. When I moved to DC with my wife, I worked at two companies supporting the Air Force and other DoD components, working on community partnerships and then digital transformation in energy logistics. In 2024, I joined the federal government as a Presidential Innovation Fellow working with the Executive Office of the President. I now continue in that role as Deputy Director for Innovation for the Council on Environmental Quality.

In the Community

In our community, I am most proud of my work clearing our alley of snow every winter, although since we’ve moved to a new house in Rosemont I can only put my snowblower to work on sidewalks. I am a Vice President of the Rosemont Citizens Association and a member of the Environmental Policy Commission. My wife is one of the leaders of the Brooks Bike Bus, which is probably more important than anything I’ve done, and my daughters tell me my favorite color is blue.