A father of two children, husband to a wonderful partner, an Executive and Workforce Development consultant, a social and civics advocate, and now your next State Representative for Ohio House – District 46 (Middletown, Monroe, Liberty Twp, Madison Twp, portion of New Miami and all areas in between) I arrived in SW Ohio over 20 years ago but before, at the age of 12, I was adopted and by my Junior year of High School I was working 3 jobs, renting an apartment while still graduating near the top of my class. Without really knowing what my next steps were and quite last minute, with the help of a friend I was able to enroll at Indiana University through a program for first generation college students. There I was involved in many activities on campus: Resident Assistant, IU Soul Review, Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., as a student/mentor/program manager for FASE Mentoring program, McNair Scholar, amongst many other activities. Upon graduation I arrived in the Cincinnati area and soon after began my career in Human Resources obtaining my 2nd degree from University of Cincinnati at night while working full time in the field. After the birth of my 1st son, I obtained my MBA. I have worked for and partnered with small businesses to Fortune 500 companies across Financial Services, Education, Healthcare, Startup, Military Defense, and Manufacturing as well as supported nonprofit, private and public sector organizations and cities. In my work, I know how important it is to have practices, processes, and mindsets that allow us to address the changing landscapes that individuals, executives, and organizational teams face when delivering initiatives and solutions to their stakeholders. I have been on both sides of hiring and layoffs and know all too well the struggle of providing for those you love in good and tough times. “Everything is a cost, but it’s how we set priorities and make investments that will determine our future!” I have spent my career supporting others, whether that be on the shop floor or at the glass ceiling in business or being an advocate for our schools when they needed the community the most and am dedicated to our region. My wife and I met and married here in SW Ohio where we started our family. We have two sons that are active in a number of academic and sport activities, etc. Our children have attended both private and public education and we see the balance for both while being adamant supporters of our public schools! I have always had an inner need to serve and work with organizations that build up our youth and invest in our community. From being an artist on tour with the Cincinnati Arts Association, and as a past mentor with Cincinnati Youth Collaborative. I have spent time as part of the Cincinnati Black Theatre Company where we shared the love of arts education across the region to schools, libraries, and non-profit events and have had increased involvement in Lakota Public Schools, getting to know members of the Board of Education, Lakota Educators and administrators, resource officers and local union members employed across district services.