My professional career and community involvement has always been community focused. Since working with Cocoon House, a nonprofit that serves at risk and homeless youth and their families, I’ve had a passion for helping people find ways to better themselves. After two years of direct service at Cocoon House, my focus shifted to telling the story of the youth and families we served to our community and seeking support for the important work the organization did. I also had the opportunity to do legislative work for Cocoon House, advocating for or against initiatives that had an impact on the population we worked with.

Since that important work, I’ve been able to expand my knowledge of the complex challenges our community faces as part of the Communications and Economic Development teams at the City of Everett. In 2018 I began work as the Senior Communications Officer, telling the story of Everett and the surrounding region. I’ve had the honor of serving on multiple boards and groups that have further expanded my knowledge of not only the challenges we as a community face but also some innovative solutions that may be out there for us to explore together.

Being involved in community and regional groups has educated me about issues that bring challenges to our community members. Our BIPOC community, our business owners, our residents who are traveling to work in other parts of our region and I’d like the opportunity to support the work that is being done and see if I can bring new ideas or strategies to the table to help meet challenges faced by our community.

My family immigrated to Washington from Mexico when I was just 5 years old; setting roots in Wapato, Washington. Wapato is a small agricultural town, a close-knit community of primarily immigrant farmworkers, where I really learned the meaning of community and service. My parents were part of the immigrant farm working community and taught my sister and I the meaning of hard work, perseverance and pride.

After high school I attended Walla Walla Community College and then transferred to Western Washington University, where I graduated with a degree in Public Relations and Journalism in 2009.

Following graduation, I worked at the Oasis Teen Shelter as a Homeless Prevention Specialist (2009-2010), then as the Advocate and Outreach Manager at the Cocoon House (2010-2012). Later I moved to the role of the Public Relations Manager at the Cocoon House (2012-2018). For the past 4 years, I have served as the Communications and Marketing Manager for the City of Everett.

My early work with homeless youth and their families had an impact on me and inspired me to continue my career in the public service relm. In my current position I work relentlessly to ensure transparency and I find ways to give the community an opportunity to share their voice and opinions about City projects. Since the pandemic, I’ve also been part of the economic recovery team at the city and have led and supported a variety of projects to support our businesses. I work to enhance the city profile through our Visit Everett tourism initiative and provide placemaking opportunities for our community. Through this work I’ve learned about the many challenges faced by small, medium and large businesses.

My experience has led me to the call to serve in a greater capacity and to advocate for a community who has given so much to me. I am a forward thinking, innovative, inclusive and environmentally conscious leader who places great emphasis on collaboration and equity. As your representative, I will continue to place transparency at the forefront of all I do by actively listening to constituents and placing their needs above all else.

During college, I was blessed to meet my wife, Lindsay. Lindsay works as the Court Appointed Special Advocate (C.A.S.A.) program supervisor for Snohomish County. She and I have lived and loved in Everett for years, in a community that has provided countless friends and opportunities. Together, we live in Southwest Everett with our three dogs and four chickens.