I was born and raised in El Paso, TX, and moved to Colorado in 1992.  Although I always envisioned myself in law enforcement, I attended Metro State College and moved up quickly in management at TCI Cable.  I transitioned my career to Qwest/CenturyLink in 1998 and worked there for 15 years.  I held several management positions within the company.  Some of those positions include Operations, International Engineering, Network Design and Strategic & Tactical Engineering.  While working at CenturyLink, my wife and I opened our first business, Downtown Toys & Games.  We had a great time tending to our customers and giving back to our community.  The economy hit us in 2010 and we were unable to financially sustain the business.  In 2013, I moved to Sungard AS, which is a Global Disaster Recovery IT company, where I led several Team in Network and Vendor Management, which included profits & losses, developing executive and strategic business cases.

In the summer 2017, I was at a transportation conference and was stressing the importance of convergence of technology and transportation and how the two could help reduce fatalities and congestion on our roadways.  Later that year, I found myself negotiating my “pay cut” to work for the CDOT’s Intelligent Transportation Systems Branch.  I was so passionate about CDOT’s mission that it was an easy decision to join them.  In this role, I lead a strong Team of employees and contractors that are planning, engineering, operating and maintaining all of electronics and fiber optics within the highway system.  I also was involved with programs like autonomous and connected vehicles that one day will be prevalent in all of our communities.  In addition, I manage all Public Private Partnerships as it pertains to technology and use of the right of way for fiber optics.  These partnerships since joining CDOT have exceed over $50M value to the State with zero State dollars involved.

I have volunteered for many local organizations, events and youth sports which have recognized me with the President’s Volunteer Service Award.  Some of the roles and volunteering opportunities I have had include:

– Board of Directors for Arvada Vitality Alliance (Vice President)

– Former Board of Directors for the Arvada Community Food Bank (Vice President)

– Serving as 2010 President of Historic Olde Town Arvada (HOTA)

– Former member of Arvada-Jefferson Kiwanis

– Being a member of Arvada Historical Society

– Graduate of the Transit Alliance Citizen’s Academy

– Participant of Colorado’s Future Through Civic Engagement

– Recipient of the APEX Service Excellence Award

– Umpiring & coaching youth baseball

– Managing youth football teams

– Ralston House .5k Endurance Challenge and volunteering committee

– Helping at the Santa House – a program to assist families in need during Christmas

– Working with the Arvada Police Department’s Light Up the Holidays

– Assisting with food drives and fund raising for the Community Table (formerly known as Arvada Community Food Bank)

– Participating in charity events to raise money for several local non-profit organizations that support Arvada citizens.

Through our business, I gained a great experience and a deeper appreciation for small businesses and their hardship through difficult times.  From my professional experience to my volunteerism, I able to have rounded and thoughtful discussions to ensure I make sound decisions in the governance and policies of our City, while protecting our charm and character of our community.