As an educator I taught writing, literature and history for over twenty years in both public and private schools, and I served as a secondary school and district-level administrator in both Phoenix and Tucson, with responsibility for academic accountability, instructional oversight, budget management and communication of the schools’ vision and mission to a wide range of stakeholders. I also served as Director of Resource Development for the Tucson Unified School District, where I administered governmental and foundational grants, reported on educational programs and wrote grant proposals to bring new revenue into the district.

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I held elective office, serving consecutive four-year terms on the Tucson Unified School District Governing Board, Arizona’s largest school district. As a board member, I served terms as President and Clerk and was responsible for gaining wide public support for several initiatives.  I have been credited with initiating the Tucson district’s Mexican-American Studies program. Prior to that, I had political experience as a speech and position writer for a  Congressional candidate from southern Arizona.

 

I hold two Master’s degrees—administrative certification in Educational Leadership from Northern Arizona University and an M. Ed. in English from the University of Arizona, where I also earned my Bachelor of Arts in English.

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One of four siblings in a working-class family, I grew up in Tucson, where I still live with Mary, my bride of 50 years.

 

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