I was born and raised in West Virginia to a stay at home mom and a father who worked for the Department of Highways. I graduated from Poca High School in 2000, pursued engineering at West Virginia Institute of Technology, and finished my Bachelor of Science in Education at West Virginia State University in 2006. I have taught on and off in West Virginia, Missouri, and Indiana. Along the way, I worked in IT, sales, insurance, service, and numerous other industries that have given me a unique background as an educator and politician. While working as a teacher in West Virginia, I decided to run for State House to prove to my students that you don’t have to be rich or famous to take a stand and make a difference. In 2010, I was elected to the West Virginia House of Delegates and served one term before deciding to run for Secretary of State. The Secretary of State at that time was pushing for the weakening of our elections, so I refused to let her go unopposed. I knew I had little chance in a State that hadn’t elected a Republican to a statewide office against an incumbent Democrat in over 100 years, but I again wanted to show that it’s not always about winning or losing, but rather standing up for what is right. I left politics after 2012 to help my wife through medical school and residency.
My wife and I moved to Indiana in 2021 after spending four years in Missouri for her residency. We looked all over the Nation and chose the place that had the best job, community, and overall environment that we wanted to settle in and raise a family. I have since been blessed with the opportunity to coach and teach at Brownstown Central, and her family has even followed us here because of the area.
PS. Our dog is named Nessie. She hates getting her picture taken.