Candidate for
Board Member; La Honda-Pescadero Unified School District

Biography

I am currently employed with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) National Preparedness Division as a Fire Programs Specialist.

Born and raised in the Central Valley near Fresno I grew up in a town very much like Pescadero. My parents were both teachers in this small rural school district. I graduated High School in 1974 and Paramedic Training in March 1976. I worked in Fresno County until 1980 when I moved to the Bay Area. In San Mateo County I continued working as a Paramedic until 1985 when the County's Emergency Medical Services Agency hired me as a Coordinator. In May 1989 we moved into our current house in La Honda just in time for the earthquake.

In 1991 when Cameron was born we decided that one of us should stay home and I volunteered. I resigned my position with the County in mid 1992 and became Mr. Mom and returned to teaching and consulting on a part time basis.

One of my consulting jobs was for the La Honda - Pescadero Unified School District. Having volunteered for some time providing technical support for southcoast.net customers I was asked to audit the District's computers. This job allowed me to see every classroom and talk to every teacher in the District long before I announced my candidacy for School Board.

I first served School District's Leadership Team to help acquire our first literacy grant. I also volunteered and served on the new teacher interview panel. I was elected to the School Board in November 1998 and became President of the Board when Tom Marks retired.

In 1999 I accepted a position as Technical Project Manager with an Internet startup company and returned to the relative peace of 12 hour work days. Eighteen months later I moved to yet another startup company as a Data Center Project Manager. In December 2001 with the economic downturn I was laid off.

Inspired by Greg Olsen's great stories of working with the juveniles at Camp Glenwood in La Honda, for the past seven months worked as an extra help Group Supervisor for the Probation Department.

Having earned a Full Community College Instructors Credential in Health Technology I have taught for six California Community Colleges in my career. In the past I have also held Instructor's Certificates for Child Care, Basic Life Support, Advanced Cardiac Life Support and several related to Hazardous Materials. I have a great deal of experience in course development and assessment. I count in my career the development of courses for mentoring paramedic students in the field, special first aid courses for Law Enforcement, and the entire program for the Fire First Responder Early Defibrillation.

I also have served as a Board Member & Vice-President of the La Honda Fire Brigade, Board of Directors of the California Fire, Rescue and Paramedic Association, State Task Force on EMS Disaster Planning and on the California Emergency Care Standards & Training Task Force.

I have also managed to volunteer six years with the Civil Air Patrol, work as a whitewater river raft guide for two summers, earn a private pilots license with an instrument rating and serve for the last thirteen years as a San Mateo County Volunteer Firefighter.

We live in La Honda just off of Pescadero Road. My spouse Jane is an Emergency Room Nurse and former President of the La Honda Fire Brigade where she still serves as Membership Coordinator. Cameron is now 10 years old in 6th grade at Pescadero Middle School.