What is your role at VGJ? Director of Veteran Development. Providing outreach to veterans to make them aware of out programs and connect them to opportunities within VGJ, assist in placement into careers, and offer wrap around support services to overcome employment and education obstacles. Currently I manage our Service Transition Programs, Veterans Green Corps which partners with conservation corps to place veterans in outdoor conservation and natural resource crews, and Veterans City Canopy that offers veterans the opportunity to plant trees in urban areas and learn landscaping certification skills.

Where were you stationed? Conducted One Site Unit Training in Ft. Knox KY with the 5/15 CAV. Was stationed in Vilseck Germany with 1st Infantry Division 2-63 Armor Battalion  Shadow Recon Platoon. Deployed to Kosovo for a nine month peacekeeping mission and completed a combat tour in Iraq in the Brigade Sniper Team.

How did that experience effect your perspective on life? I saw first hand the desperation and conflict caused by dependent economies and their effect on the world at large. I experienced the great potential of the US military and the tragic use when deployed without proper planning and intelligence. I met an incredible and generous culture and shared the whole experience with a group of professionals that I will always consider some of my best friends.

What are your hopes for the “green economy”? I hope that in the short term it will provide careers to many of our citizens struggling to find jobs, it will begin to curb our countries need for foreign oil, and that it will help preserve our natural environment. In the long term I dream that we will have affordable clean energy for every person on the planet and an energy revolution offers every country the technology and power to focus on ending conflict and producing a sustainable future.

What are your hopes for veterans of America? I hope that veterans lead America into a more practical and non-destructive society, our nation becomes more educated on veterans issues and we integrate returning service members into respectful roles in our communities, and that veterans are viewed as a valued component to our workforce.