I have over 30 years as a public servant. After graduating East Burke High School, I served in the Gulf War with the United States Air Force. When my enlistment was up, I came back to Burke County where I worked at the youth boot camp called IMPACT West. I realized that I wanted to make a positive difference in Burke County youth before they saw the court system. I was then blessed by being hired by Morganton Public Safety where I worked patrol and finally in Special Operations where I was a community police officer.

After a little more than 8 years with Public Safety, I was offered and took a lieutenant’s position with the Bald Head Island Police Department on the North Carolina coast. Bald Head Island then consolidated into a Public Safety department that practiced all disciplines of public safety to include police, fire, medical and water rescue. I was promoted to the Deputy Chief of Public Safety. While at Bald Head Island, I obtained my bachelor degree from Mountain State University where I graduated Summa Cum Laude and valedictorian of my graduating class.

I then took the Chief of Police position with the Town of Beech Mountain. While there, I was gained vast knowledge of budgeting and and took the role of the stewardship of the citizens money very seriously. In my time there, I obtained many grants to update the infrastructure of the department saving the taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars.