Tell us a little about yourself. You can include your personal background, family, outside interests that are important to who you are as a person and a candidate.
I moved to Lexington in 2013 with my wife, our daughter who is heading to LHS next year, and our rescue pup. I bring a diverse set of professional experiences from my 30-year career in public service and the private sector in national security, economic development, and construction. I served as an appointee in the Clinton and Obama administrations and as press secretary for Rep. Marty Meehan (5th-MA) before returning to Massachusetts to join Athenahealth. I currently lead crisis management for HealthEquity, a financial services and health care company. I am the current vice chair of the Lex250 Commission and I serve on the Merriam Hill Association board. I also served as vice chair of the Economic Development Advisory and Ad Hoc Transportation Committee, and as chair and treasurer of the Town Meeting Members Association. I graduated from Harvard College and the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and am a huge Star Wars and Lego fan.
Why are you running for Town Meeting?
I’m running for re-election to Town Meeting because I feel it is my responsibility to play an active role in shaping how our community continues to thrive for our residents and our future. The issues that matter most to me—economic development, capital planning, and transparency in government program outcomes, not just program activities. As we build a new Lexington High School, we must begin prioritizing other town investments to ensure the long-term fiscal stability while minimizing financial pressure on our residents. We know that there have been times in the last decade where we haven’t had to debate the costs or investments in a number of projects that were nice-to-haves. However, it’s important for us to be prudent with our resources and to embrace new ways for governing and operating more efficiently while maintaining this historical town and its education system.
How has your past experience — whether in your professional life, elected office, or as a community leader — prepared you for a role in Town Meeting?
My passion is in solving problems, big and small, to make a difference in the organizations and teams of which I am part. I am a lifelong learner and appreciate all the diversity of expertise and interests our residents share. I have had a diverse career in the pubic and private sector. I started in communications and public engagement as a public affairs officer to the secretary of defense and assistant press secretary to Vice President Al Gore before becoming the press secretary to Rep. Marty Meehan. After 4 years at Booz Allen Hamilton working on national and homeland security missions, I joined the Obama administration focused on building public private partnerships in emergency response and cyber security. I moved back to Massachusetts to join Athenahealth, where I led the global security and facilities team building over $100M in capital projects and managing tenant spaces in six states as well as our COVID response.