I moved to Huntington in 2005 to go to Marshall. I married a Huntington native in 2008 and graduated from Marshall with a BA in music education in 2009. We separated in 2020 and I moved to Barboursville until 2022, when I moved back to Huntington (back into District 9). I've lived here since then. I have two kids, 12 and 9. They go to Explorer Academy and Huntington East Middle School.
I have been a professional software developer since ~2015, and am passionate about engineering and problem solving. In 2021, I bought 2 acres out Green Valley road and started managing the land there, with the intent to turn it into a sustainable homestead. I am an environmentalist and am a strong proponent of taking care of our native plant species here in Appalachia, eradicating invasive plants, and taking care of this precious environment that is slipping away from us daily.
My day job is a Curriculum Designer and Instructor for Kenzie Academy through Southern New Hampshire University. I work from my home right here in Huntington, but that opportunity will be over in April, as the university closed the academy. I teach Front-End Web Development (JavaScript) and Back-End Software Development (Java) for adult learners. Recently, I was an instructor for Amazon Career Choice, a program which sponsored Amazon warehouse workers to learn software development.
I run a small business from my home office called Lasso Games. We have developed a few games for PC over the years and just recently published a locally-developed (Hurricane, WV) board game! Though I was born in Oklahoma, I consider myself an Appalchian. In August I will officially have been West Virginian longer than I was an Oklahoman. My entire adult life has been shaped by these hills, working in Appalachia, and being active in our rich and vibrant culture in this region.
My partner Michelle is HR director for the City of Ashland and it has been really neat to see some of the cool projects they have going on there, from the art initiatives, to the acts they draw at the Paramount, to the public events, and even the controversial Winchester Ave redesign.
I am very interested in urban planning and infrastructure, walkable/cycle-friendly cities. I love to travel, and have been to Europe 3 times. It's amazing to go abroad and see super old cities that still have great infrastructure and transit options. Lots of places in Europe had to avoid designing their cities around prioritizing cars due to space constraints or UNESCO, or historical sites, and this has worked to their advantage as we have seen that lane widening projects and prioritizing moving cars over moving people has backfired and turned North American suburban sprawl into a redundant landscape that is impossible to navigate without an expensive, dangerous prosthetic known as a motor vehicle. Politically, I would position myself pretty far left on the political compass. Further left than most Democrats. In fact, I only recently registered as a democrat so I could be on the Primary ballot in May. I have been unaffiliated with a political party because I believe the two-party system in the USA is broken and does not accurately represent the will of the people.
What makes me "far-left?" I believe in more direct democracy, worker co-ops, public (collectively owned) property, and that government should be run from the bottom up, and not from the top down. I believe that small governments and community groups can do more to affect change in people's day-to-day lives than our federal and state governments, and that we should be more actively involved in the political process. I realize calling myself "far left" is probably not going to be a super popular approach while running for office here in WV. But, as time goes on, that would reveal itself, and I believe in being as transparent as possible since honesty and transparency are qualities that aren't often seen in politicians.
I believe in direct action. When the Cabell County School board voted to defund the parks and libraries, I spoke passionately at their meetings, suggesting sternly that the board should do the right thing and fund our parks and libraries, which are strong staples of public service that provide opportunities for our most disadvantaged members of society.
Most importantly though, I believe in strong towns and strong communities, which are only possible when neighborhoods are able to work together to meet common goals. I want to see more involvement and activity from (myself and my) neighbors, and want to see city policy and ordinances reflect the will of the people first, and not just special business interests.
Also! There is a lot I just don't know or have answers for, and I am here to learn. I look to learn something new every day because I believe we are lifelong learners, and that when we know better, we have to do better. I feel like I have good positions on issues, that are based in empathy, compassion, and humanity. But, I'm always trying to keep my eyes and ears open for new information that challenges my perspective. I believe we can do better in America, and I believe it starts locally! I am not a seasoned politician, and I don't want to project the image that I am. But I do think I can be a voice for the citizens of my district, and that when we work together we can do great things!