I believe that a community should govern themselves, I believe in democracy. But our democracy is broken. Capacity for our people to participate is very low. Barriers to participate are very high. This has allowed systems to optimize toward inequity, lack of transparency, low participation, and no accountability. I have experienced the policies that encourage poverty, I have helped fixed them around the world. I want to help elevate the voice of our community so that we can build our own future, solve our own problems, and fight equality, equity and justice.

Lansing Raised Me: I have a debt to pay. I travelled all over the world helping other communities become safe and secure, heal, and create a well being from their strength, prosperity and innovation. 10 years ago, I moved my focus to our city and our region to do the same for the city that Raised Me.

Global Experience with Systems Work: My long history of systems work gives me special skills to help analyze the system scale and unintended consequences.

Holistic View to Community Development: My current work, the Fledge, is a microcosm of how I think our community should be governed. I believe in a radical inclusion strategy that gives everyone space to use their voice. I believe that the community holds everything they need to solve our own problems and build our own future. As much as we need to build the economy, we need to build the community (economic development is a system embedded in community development). Complex problems will not have a single stand-alone solution, we must solve the problems that interact with each other.

Math and Technology experience: B.S. Statistics, University of Michigan, 1988. Founder and CEO of three globally operating tech companies. I have run AI, Coding, Maker, and other Tech Clubs. I subcontracted for LEAP to run the Business Accelerator Fund for High Tech Companies.

Leadership of teams / communities: throughout my childhood I had to step up as a leader, in my career I needed to build company culture around change, I am a trained 7-habits of Highly Effective People facilitator, and have over 35 years experience doing customer discovery and auditing. I know how to listen, I know how to lead, I know how to motivate toward a cause.

Business and Entrepreneurship: I have had to be entrepreneurial my whole life. I started my first consulting company while still attending the University of Michigan. I would later have to sell that company because it accidentally became a globally operating software company. I have help to build and/or run 5 different incubators and several accelerators. I have worked as a subcontractor for the Lansing Economic Area Partnership. I have helped to build over 600 small businesses / start-ups in the area. My work leans toward social enterprises and responsible capitalism. I am not a supporter of consumerism, hoarding wealth, and exploiting people.

I’ve been Campaigning my whole life: I might be able to do it without wasting any community resources: it is important to me that my focus stays on helping the people. I do not want to take the resources from people who do not have their basic needs met. If you want to support my campaign, donate to a grass roots organization of buy someone a meal.