I am a farm kid that graduated from Athens High School. My career in public service began as a police officer, fire fighter and EMT from 1997-2008.  During that time I worked for the Colby Abbotsford Police Department, Clark County Sheriff’s Department and was a volunteer member of the Colby Fire and Ambulance Service.

In 2008 I went back to school and earned my Bachelor’s degree from UW-La Crosse. My program included a semester abroad in Costa Rica where almost every weekend I got to tour the most beautiful beaches and rainforests in the world.  

From there I went to teach in central Spain for the Ministry of Education.  

After that I came home to the US and obtained a teaching certificate while teaching in low income, low performing districts in Baton Rouge, LA with Teach for America. 

An opportunity arose to move back abroad to teach in a suburb of Shanghai in China. I later served as principal there for 3 years and earned my Master’s degree in STEM Teaching and Leadership. 

In 2020 I moved back to the United States, to fill positions teaching in Owen-Withee, Athens and Abbotsford. 

I then was offered a job in the School District of Colby as Middle School Principal and District Assessment Coordinator for the middle school.

I think Colby has a strong, experienced and veteran staff. Our streamlined course load allows teachers to be more focused as the majority of their courses are with the same grade level of students.  This also gives them the opportunity to collaborate more effectively in grade level teams. 

Passing the recent referendum shows strong community support for our schools. It gives everybody a confidence boost and shows that education is valued in Colby. We are excited to have grades 5-8 back together in one location. We also look forward to using the FAB Lab which will give students great exposure to many hands-on opportunities in technology education.

I am married, and we have a 6-year old son.  Most of my free time is spent taking care of our hobby farm.  I try to stay involved in my community by serving as a township supervisor and as a member of our church council. 

Please feel free to give me a call or stop in to meet if you have any questions or need more information about the things that are going on at school.