People often think civic engagement means running for office. That misses the point.

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I've spent my career as a youth advocate, community organizer, and elected official — and what I've learned is this: civic engagement is about what you're doing to make your community better. That might mean governance. It might mean joining a board or committee. It might mean volunteer service, or showing up to pick up trash in your neighborhood once a month. There are different levels of engagement, and they all matter. The goal isn't personal achievement — it's recognizing that you have power to change your community, and then using it.

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That belief is what led me to run for Tacoma City Council in 2015. At the time, no Black man had won a council seat since Harold Moss served as mayor. I didn't run because I wanted a title. I ran because I wanted people in my community — especially young people — to see that representation was achievable, and that the systems shaping their lives were systems they could influence.

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What shapes how I lead is more personal.

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I have Stargardt's macular degeneration, a visual impairment I've navigated my entire adult life. Living with a disability forces you to think collaboratively. You learn to balance independence, codependence, and interdependence — and to ask yourself constantly: what does support actually look like?

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It's also made me deeply empathetic. I recognize that everybody has something that could be hindering them — visible or not. And it's sharpened my understanding of equity in ways that are hard to unlearn. If I receive a document in 12-point font like everyone else in the room, that's equal. But it's not equitable — because I can't read it. That gap between equal treatment and equitable access? I feel it every day.

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That lived experience translates directly to how I approach systems work. Making sure someone with a visual impairment has the right font sounds simple, but it's complicated. So is building affordable housing. So is shifting policy in any meaningful way. There's always a pathway and a strategy — it's not that these things can't be done — but you have to navigate ecosystems of competing interests: corporate, community, municipal. Equity requires understanding complexity, not pretending it doesn't exist.

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As CEO of Momentum Professional Strategy Partners, I bring that lens to every engagement. I help mission-driven organizations see their systems clearly — where the gaps are, where the leverage points are, and how to build infrastructure that reflects their values while navigating real-world constraints.

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During my time on the Tacoma City Council (2016–2023), including service as Deputy Mayor, I shaped policy across housing, public health, and economic development. I helped secure millions in community investments and advanced initiatives rooted in justice and sustainability. I served on the Tacoma-Pierce County Board of Health and the Executive Board of the Association of Washington Cities, where I championed inclusive policy and responsive leadership.

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Today, I bring that same strategic foresight to Momentum's clients — helping leaders build systems that hold, in communities that deserve better.

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Recognition:

• Mid-Career Achievement Award, University of Puget Sound (2025)

• Golden Knight Award, Former WA State Attorney General Bob Ferguson (2023)

• Governor's Smart Communities Award, Recognized for leadership in sustainable community development (2023)

• Golden Deeds Award, Business Masters Exchange Club of Pierce County (2009)

• Senior Fellow, American Leadership Forum – Class XIX
   

When I'm not working alongside organizational leaders, I'm home with my wife Christina and our two sons, KJ and Idris — learning alongside them and being reminded daily that the work we do now shapes the community they'll inherit.