I have lived in and around Seattle most of my life. I attended Seattle Lutheran High School in West Seattle and then went on to the University of Washington. It wasn't until I moved away for law school that I realized the Pacific Northwest was such a great place in which to live. Everything I want to do recreationally and professionally is located right here. It's the classic saying; "you don't appreciate what you've got until it's gone."

For as long as I can remember I have been involved with some form of business. My family has operated a medium-sized manufacturing company in Tukwila since 1965. My parents were never ones to burden me or my sister with the stresses of the business. But from an early age I could see that owning and operating your own business is very stressful and requires constant attention (travel, evenings, weekends, and extended periods of time away from the family).

Coming from a family where the business was part of life, it was almost preordained that I would major in business administration when the time came for me to attend college. I graduated in 2003 from the University of Washington with a B.A. in Business Administration and a minor in Political Science. The four years of education at the University of Washington gave me a greater perspective on business and companies as a whole as well as introducing me to the complicated world of politics.

I received my law degree from Santa Clara University School of Law in 2006. It is a great institution located in the San Francisco Bay Area. During the course of my legal education, I realized that businesspersons accommodate their everyday business practices to an ever changing collection of laws and regulations. In Washington, there are entrepreneurial laws such as the Business Practices Act and the Uniform Commercial Code that can help small and medium-size businesses grow and succeed.

Education:

J.D., Santa Clara University School of Law

B.A., Business Administration, University of Washington

Minor: Political Science

Bar Admissions:

Washington State Bar Association

State Bar of California

U.S. District Court, Western District of Washington