I was a teacher’s kid, and being the teacher's kid is a little different. I saw (and continue to see) my parents struggle and work hard. They arrive at school at 7am and leave at 7pm, all for their students. They wanted to make sure every kid had the opportunity to excel and pushed them to do so no matter where they came from. They inspire me every day to continue to push for things that may seem difficult and challenging and to celebrate success, whether it’s big or small.

Why I love my job:

I believe that everyone deserves a seat at the table. I love this job because it’s critical to connect citizens to policies that our elected officials are working on in education. And I get to provide tools for those citizens to be effective advocates for their communities and support change in education policy.

My connection to public schools:

I’m a product of public education. Growing up, I had the opportunity to attend a year-round school, where we attended classes from July to June, with school breaks every nine weeks. The opportunity to experience a different school environment gave me the perspective that we desperately need options for parents and students.

I’m also a son of two public school educators, and I like to say that I gained a different perspective about education on the ride home from school every day with my parents.

What I’m bad at:

Sports. I come from an athletic family but those genes seemed to have skipped me.

The image that represents why I work at 50CAN:

This image represents the many pages of notes I take while meeting with hundreds of parents, community leaders and educators about education. My notepads are filled with the stories, thoughts and ideas of people like you and me. These notepads all have one common thread: they want to improve education in Georgia