I’ve spent nearly twenty years connected to the Gorge and the Mt. Hood region, living, working, exploring, and organizing in the communities and landscapes that define this place. Shaped by rural Oregon, public schools, and community service, I’ve spent my adult life teaching in public universities, organizing with neighbors to solve problems, and participating in local governance. Through that work I see how hard people are working just to get by, and how the supports we rely on are falling short. That’s not a personal failing; it’s a political choice. I’m running because we cannot accept it. I believe in common-sense foundations that allow people to build stable lives here, and I’m stepping forward to put my experience in service of the communities of the Gorge and Mt. Hood.