Your current job and title: 

On Aug. 1 I retired after 29 years as faculty in the Department of Sociology at ECU.

Your highest level of education:

AA in Liberal Arts, BA in Bible and Theology, MA in Communications, & PhD in Sociology.

I graduated high school and then completed an AA degree in Liberal Arts from the local community college in my hometown of Salinas, California. Planning to pursue a career in ministry, I moved to Chicago and received a BA in Bible and Theology in 1981 and an MA in Communications in 1983. In 1995, I
completed a PhD in Sociology at the Catholic University of America in Washington DC, specializing in social movements, non-profit and advocacy organizations, social capital, and democratization and joined the ECU faculty later that year.

If you're elected or re-elected, what will be your top priority? Why?

Working to improve the quality of life for all people in Pitt County, in all parts of Pitt County. Ours is a vibrant and rapidly growing community that’s going to keep growing. So, we don’t need to put a lot of effort into just getting bigger. Rather, we must carefully weigh how to grow into the kind of place we want Pitt County to be. As Commissioner I will assess how proposals and projects that come before the Commission will affect the broad range of people living in our county. Who will benefit and who may be left out? How can we make Pitt County a place where newcomers want to stay and build their lives?

I believe accomplishing this rests on three foundations.
  

First, our county must be a place where strong, adequately resourced public schools educate a broadly skilled workforce of well-informed and engaged residents.

Second, we must manage and use our growth to rebuild the “Main Streets” of our communities that have been left behind in recent decades.

Third, we must ensure that voices from all communities are heard and that county services are accessible to everyone.

If you're elected or re-elected, how will you involve your constituents in the process of making decisions?

By being out in the community attending and listening and interacting at a broad range of local government, civic, or neighborhood events. Work with community leaders to better understand the needs and perspectives of often overlooked places and groups in our community. I will work with other county commissioners to identify and recruit emerging
leaders across the range of communities in the county to further broaden and diversify representation on county boards, commissions, and other community leadership positions.

Why should voters choose you for the position you’re running for?

I believe that voters should choose me to be our next County Commissioner because of my faith in Pitt County and my service to it. I believe that Pitt County has grown so much, and I believe that we can continue to grow in so many ways. I made my home here in 1995 and I’ve never regretted it, and I’ve always fought to make it better. I currently serve on the Multimodal Transportation Commission for the City of Greenville, on the board of Community Crossroads Shelter and have served our community in many ways over the past 29 years.

Which three things about you do you most want voters to know?

· I have lived in Pitt County since 1995, when we moved here for me to begin a second career teaching sociology at East Carolina University. We built our lives here, raised our two children here, put down deep roots in the community, and have chosen to stay in Pitt County.
· Terri, my wife, taught for Pitt County Schools, and our two boys were educated in the North Carolina Public Schools from
Elmhurst Elementary through NC State.
· My professional experience and research have given me an understanding of how governmental policies affect communities and families and how grassroots people in them organize to advocate for and make social change. I have a unique perspective and appreciation of the needs and challenges of diverse peoples. I will bring that knowledge and appreciation to the Pitt County Commission.

Is there anything else about you that you wish to tell voters?

I believe we can make Pitt County a place that people come and stay, just like I did. We have a vibrant community in so many ways, including East Carolina University students. Let’s keep Pitt County a place that they come for an education and make it a place that they stay and grow our community and culture and build their futures.