About Me

My wife and I met attending law school in my home state of Indiana. We had the good sense to follow our dreams out west after graduation and like many before us, had a family and called Oregon our home. I spent most of my career prosecuting domestic violence and child abuse cases for the Multnomah County District Attorney’s office. I was appointed to the Psychiatric Security Review Board (PSRB) by Governor Kulongoski. I served on the PSRB board for eight years and was chair for five years.

I served as Board President of Oregon Episcopal School, and have served as Chair of the Board of Transition Projects, helping to find solutions to end homelessness. I taught in the Criminal Justice Department at Portland Community College, and loved being in the classroom.

I never thought I would run for public office until Trump became President. At that moment, I realized that in the face of our country being led by someone who promotes bigotry and selfishness, there was no way I could not do something. This is why I’m running as a Democrat for the state legislature.

In the last four years, we have been faced with tremendous challenges, from protecting reproductive freedom to addressing the drug crisis, supporting our schools to protecting our environment. When leaders in Salem represent the values of our communities, we can make tough decisions that lead our state to a brighter future.

I have spent the last two years as the Senate Majority Leader, leading the charge to get Democratic priorities over the finish line. It has been an honor to serve my Senate Democratic colleagues, and work with an incredible team to keep moving Oregon forward.