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I moved to San Luis Obispo from my hometown of Santa Ynez almost 20 years ago. I chose San Luis Obispo because it was home to Cal Poly. I am proud to be a graduate of this fine university. While at Cal Poly I met my wife Jayne and had the opportunity to get involved in the following activities:
- Major: Agriculture Education
- Week of Welcome: Board of Director / Counselor
- Student/Community Laison Committee: Member
- Student Affairs Committee: Student Representative
- Alpha Phi Omega (Community Service Society): Founder
- Alpha Gamma Rho (Agriclture Society): Member
- Order of Omega (Honor Society): Member
- Inter-Fraternal Council: Vice-President
- Rugby Football Club: Player
The best thing I got from Cal Poly was the exposure to the wonderful environment it is located in. The city of San Luis Obispo made a huge impact on me as a student. I couldn't wait to get back after graduating and ended up opening my own business in order to live here. This November 5 marks the tenth anniversary that my restaurant, Mother's Tavern has been open at it's location at 725 higuera in the heart of Downtown San Luis Obispo. In the last ten years, Mother's Tavern has been an essential partner in our community. This partnership has been examplified in the numerous awards and accolades it has recieved including:
- 1998 State of California Governors Award - Small Business
- Downtown Association Beatification Award - 5 times awarded
- Obispo Beautiful Association Award - 2 times awarded
- New Times Readers Poll - voted best 10 years in a row
Building Mother's Tavern into the business it is, has been a great experience, but five years ago I took a leave of absence to take on a responsibility with a much higher calling than the restaurant. I was driven to join the California Army National Guard in order to work full-time as a military instructor for at-risk youth programs at Camp San Luis Obispo. Working as a military instructor at the Grizzly Youth Academy has been the best job I ever had. I had the opportunity to influence and mentor the lives of hundreds of at-risk youth by giving them skills they desperately needed to survive and become powerful additions to their own communities. In addition to serving my community and state, I was activated for federal duty and deployed shortly after the attacks on September 11. I have experienced the loss of life of those I have served with. Furthermore, I understand how important it is for our community to stand behind the families of those who serve. While in the service of our country I was recognized for the following:
- 649th Military Police Company: Operations Sergeant
- Grizzly Youth Academy: Platoon Sergeant
- Angel Gate Academy: Squad Leader
- Oakland Military Institute: Squad Leader
- Operation Noble Eagle: Team Leader
- Medals: Army Achievement(2x), Overseas Reserve Component, National Defense, Army Service, Non-Commisioned Officer Development
I have always been active in the San Luis Obispo Community and continued to get more involved after my time in the Army. A brief overview of the associations and organizations I have been fortunate enough to become involved with are:
- Downtown Assocition: Board of Directors
- Thursday Night Promotions: Chairman
- SLO Parks & Recreation - Special Events Task Force: Member
- SLO City Human Relations Commission: Commissioner
- State California Restaurant Association: Board of Directors
- Residents for Quality Neighborhoods: Member
- Laguna Neighbors Association: Member
- Senior Nutrition Program of SLO County: Board of Directors
- San Luis Obispo Property Owners Association: President
- Residents For Quality Neighborhoods: Member
- San Luis Obispo Rugby Football Club: Treasurer/Player
- San Luis Obispo Exchange Club: Member
- Cal Poly Rugby Football Club: Assistant Coach
- Alpha Gamma Rho: Advisor / Alumni Board
- American Legion Post #66: Member
- Cal Poly University/Community Alcohol Task Force: Member
- San Luis Obispo de Tolosa Rotary Club: Member
- San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce: Board of Directors
The most valuable part of these involvements is the people in our community I've had the chance to meet and become acquainted with as a result. It gives me a wide variety of community members I can get advice and opinions from.
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