Candidate for
State Representative; District 31; Democratic Party

I am a Cincinnati native and Princeton High School graduate. I earned my bachelor of arts degrees in Philosophy and French at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. I have lived in District 31 for ten years, and have owned my home in Madisonville for five years.

I am currently the Public Affairs Coordinator for Planned Parenthood Southwest Ohio Region, where I have organized support for:
--the Affordable Care Act
--the "no co-pay" contraception initiative
--the Medicaid Family Planning Expansion
--the Ohio Prevention First Act
--the Act for Our Children's Future
--the Compassionate Assistance for Rape Emergencies Act

and have organized to oppose:
--Senate Bill 5
--the Ohio Post-viability ban
--the Ohio Insurance Prohibition
--the Federal Insurance Prohibition
--the Ohio Judicial Bypass Bill
--the Ohio Heartbeat Bill
--the Federal Pence Amendment

I have worked with numerous coalitions to combine resources and advanced shared missions, including Take Back the Night Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky, Coalition for Family Health, Ohio Domestic Violence Network, the Cincinnati Regional Advisory Group on HIV/AIDS Prevention, and the Mount Auburn Chamber of Commerce.

I have been a community organizer since 2008, when I was hired as the Regional Field Organizer for America Votes. I am currently a member of the Cincinnati chapter of LULAC (League of United Latin American Citizens) and recently served on the Advocacy Committee of GLSEN Cincinnati (Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network). I have formerly been involved with Urbanist II and Cincinnati Tomorrow.

I have a long history in the Cincinnati arts community. I have been the Technical Director of both the Know Theatre of Cincinnati and New Stage Collective, and the production assistant for the Cincinnati Opera's educational touring shows, including Oh Freedom!: A Musical Tribute to African American History and Adrienne Danrich's This Little Light of Mine: The Stories of Marian Anderson and Leontyne Price.

I met my wife of four years, Haley Elkins, through the Cincinnati arts community. Haley is a writer who earned her degree in English Literature, Women's Studies, and Technical Writing at the University of North Texas. We live in Madisonville with our three wily rescue dogs, Luna, Jo, and Miles.