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 lead the firm's strategic direction, partnerships, and impact, bringing my lived experience and policy expertise 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 by 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.