North Carolina Forward Party - Committee Member
JJ is a retired geophysicist turned home-maker and private investor supporting his wife who is a psychiatry resident at Duke. He's the 2nd of 5 boys raised on a farm in Nebraska. He lived on 4 continents and took a group of high-schoolers to a 5th. He sailed two tall ships across the Gulf of Mexico, trained dolphins in Hawaii, took an experimental tractor beam into zero-gravity on NASA's Weightless Wonder, and helped start 2 non-profits (one of which put him in Ghana adapting power-generating playground equipment to the local engineering capabilities). He's an Eagle Scout, former Scout Master, admin for the local Friends of Forest School, and active on the PTA and SIT for his daughter's elementary school.
JJ holds a BS in Applied Physics with a focus on Mechanical Engineering, complemented by minors in Business, Math, and Spanish. His career journey is marked by versatility and success, serving as the Technical Director for two startup non-profits, contributing to their growth and innovation. Transitioning to the corporate sphere, JJ worked as a geophysicist for a Fortune 500 company. Beyond his professional endeavors, JJ is also an enthusiastic educator, having served as an Instructor on the Tall Ship Elissa, fostering hands-on learning experiences.
JJ entered the realm of politics driven by a deep concern sparked by the data compiled by Represent Us. The stark revelation of Congress disproportionately heeding the interests of the top 1% rather than prioritizing the needs of constituents fueled JJ's commitment to instigate change.