...Northern Arizona
I was born and raised in Arizona. I grew up the son of a firefighter in Prescott, and my earliest memories include my father’s time as a fireman in the Four Corners region. I kissed my Prescott High School-sweetheart wife for the first time behind an outhouse at the bottom of the Grand Canyon during a 1994 Thanksgiving camping trip. I received a Bachelor’s degree in Wildlife Biology at U of A. In Tucson, I also became a certified EMT. I returned to Prescott and worked as an ALS/BLS first responder for Life Line Ambulance.
My heart is deeply-rooted in the region, and the diversity of encounters and ideas I can bring to the table enhance the toolbox we use to tackle our challenges.
In 2015, with the incredible support of my family, I thru-hiked the entire 800 miles of the Arizona National Scenic Trail, from Utah to Mexico. As a result, the bond I've always felt with northern Arizona strengthened immeasurably. The Gore-Tex® “Experience More” online magazine published four photo essays of my journey, elaborating upon my love for Arizona. Please do check them out.
...Family and Faith
My high school sweetheart and I have been married for twenty-five years. We have two children, Ariel and Everest.
Clare and I met in our Prescott Sacred Heart Catholic Parish confirmation program.
Having completed confirmation the previous year, I was a senior volunteer counselor the year Clare enrolled.
I served throughout college as a social justice minister at the U of A Catholic Newman Center, where Clare and I were married by Dominican priests with whom we remain close friends. I celebrate my faith’s righteous call for social justice, its message of mercy, its mandate that we act as stewards of God’s creation. My family attends Mass at San Francisco de Asis Parish.
I’m the older brother of a low-functioning autistic sibling. I have strong childhood memories of watching my parents fight tooth and nail for more resources for my brother and our family. To this day, my mother struggles with great strain to find the necessary support for her adult autistic child. Parents of children with disabilities shouldn’t have to work so hard to win the support that their families deserve and require. I am a tireless advocate for families in need of greater disability-related resources at school, at home, and throughout the city.
...Public Service
I served as a Peace Corps volunteer in a Honduran cloud forest ranching community for two years, where slash-and-burn agriculture was a traditional way of life. I worked alongside local farmers, hunters, and cattle ranchers to identify sustainable practices that both improved their bottom line and protected vulnerable forest stands, wildlife, soil richness, and water quality. A fluent Spanish speaker, I extended my Peace Corps service for a third year at the request of the program’s country director, where I served as regional scout for opening up new Honduran communities to the Peace Corps program.
Following the Peace Corps, I served as the manager of a US Congressional campaign out of Oregon’s 2nd district, one of the largest and most rural in the nation. I cut my teeth in the world of electoral politics, and this led me to become a faith-based community organizer in inner-city Sacramento for nearly a decade, where I advocated for struggling school communities, helped the city police department enact a community-supported gang violence prevention effort called “Cease Fire,” organized with Bishop Jaime Soto a diocesan-wide effort to win protections for local Dreamers and law-abiding immigrants, and learned to write policy and win numerous types of community grants.
...Science!
Following our time in Sacramento, during which my wife earned her PhD at UC Davis, I earned a Masters in Tropical Conservation Biology from the University of Hawaii. My research on rare Hawaiian plants located on the high slopes of Mauna Loa Volcano earned me a pair of destroyed hiking boots, a tattered rain jacket, and a prestigious National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. I have a deep, abiding respect for the scientific method. Peer-reviewed research informs my positions and policy decisions at every level. My wife has a doctorate in Ecology and serves as director of the NAU School of Earth and Sustainability. She's also the acting director of the Landscape Conservation Initiative, or LCI.
I believe that environmental stewardship will best succeed when respectfully coupled with consideration of human livelihoods and wellbeing. Indeed, scientific research strongly suggests that when it comes to the environment, people matter most.
...Sustainability
As a community rooted in resilience and stewardship, Flagstaff has long stood at the forefront of environmental leadership. I am proud of my extensive public record of providing leadership and support for multiple Council efforts that continue to evolve and grow stronger and smarter. I was on Council to shepherd the original Climate Action and Adaptation Plan into motion late in 2018. I was a tie-breaking vote in June of 2019 to move Council forward in updating our woefully out-of-date 2009 International Building Codes to the 2018 standard. I strongly advocated for the declaration of a climate emergency which was formally adopted in June of 2020, solidifying climate action as a city-wide priority and facilitating the promotion of Flagstaff’s sustainability office to division status. And I was heavily engaged in drafting and passing—and more recently, protecting—Flagstaff’s trailblazing Carbon Neutrality by 2030 Plan, passed in 2021, integrated into the regional plan in 2022, and currently under review for important new updates.
Our Carbon Neutrality Plan is not just a policy document—it’s a promise to future generations. But ambitious roadmaps require sustained effort, pressure, and leadership, and such commitments demand courage to explore new paths.
...Youth Leadership
I have extensive training and on-the-ground experience with engaging youth in leadership roles. With almost a decade of professional youth development training under my belt, working with a diverse array of youth, I've learned firsthand that our young people can demonstrate genuine leadership when adults are properly trained to grant them a voice in decision-making. Indeed, research has proven time and again that youth are capable of making informed decisions for themselves.
Our youth need more opportunities to express their desires and to show leadership throughout Flagstaff. They need more resources, more things to do, and more say in what all of that looks like. I fully support the return of a Youth Commission to Flagstaff, and empowering that commission with as much authority to advise the city council as any other commission. I support more access to jobs for our young men and women, and will partner with local businesses to properly resource better youth employment, empowerment, and authentic leadership roles.
...Arts and Culture
My successful career as a young adult Science Fiction and Fantasy author grants me the flexibility to focus on my Council role. THE ISLANDS AT THE END OF THE WORLD and THE GIRL AT THE CENTER OF THE WORLD are young adult eco-thrillers that take place on the Hawaiian Islands following a global, cataclysmic disaster. Themes of sustainability and interdependency undergird every page, but at their hearts, these are fast-paced, coming-of-age adventure stories. ISLANDS was chosen as one of the “Best Books of 2014” by Kirkus Reviews, and was named a top ten novel in the genre of "Climate Fiction" by The Guardian.
Two of my novels were co-authored with world-renowned environmentalist and TV show host Philippe Cousteau Jr, grandson of the famous explorer Jacques Cousteau. The Endangereds series follows a rag-tag, “A-Team” style of animal misfits who travel the world helping endangered species and solving environmental problems.
Click here to check out my author life! If you're interested in purchasing my books, please consider shopping locally on-site at Bright Side Books or Barnes and Noble!
I am a landscape photographer, and particularly enjoy the challenges and rewards of low light photography. All photos on this website are my own work. I am a fierce advocate for the arts in Flagstaff and I support STEAM educational goals in our schools and cultural celebrations at every turn.
...Our Dark Skies
Living in the nation’s first-designated “Dark Sky City,” we benefit immensely from a robust relationship with our planet’s view of the cosmos. I think this issue is deeply important, and I'm proud of our community's vigilance against light pollution. The night sky isn’t just a pretty viewscape to enjoy where it’s available. Humanity’s very ability to collectively wonder about our place in the universe is compromised when we wash it away. This is a bigger deal than it might first seem. The stars are quickly going extinct from our awareness and our consciousness. We’re content to let wardens like Neil de Grasse Tyson be our gatekeepers to wonder. But each one of us across the globe should be able to be reminded on a nightly basis that we’re indeed small, and yet miraculous. We lose our night through choices, not necessity. I am very passionate about safeguarding this valuable resource in our neighborhoods. We really must protect what Dark we have left.
...Our Local Civil Discourse
In Flagstaff, no one is anonymous—we all shop for milk in the same stores. This creates an opportunity for civil discourse. People of good faith may disagree on our vision for Flagstaff’s future, but I firmly believe that our ability to debate as friends creates opportunities for better solutions. I’m excited that Flagstaff city council seats are nonpartisan. My views on most issues respect complexity and do not stuff neatly into a box. I’m a good listener, and you’ll have my ear no matter where you’re coming from politically. In an era where public dialogue seems to be suffering greatly at the national level, I see opportunity locally. It is the honor and privilege of my lifetime to bring an open, well-informed mind and a genuine spirit of respect to our city’s many important debates.
