HIGHLIGHTS:

Public & Community Service

• Former member of Norristown Zoning Hearing Board
• Former executive committee member of "Heeding God's Call," a Christian movement for peace and gun violence prevention
• Current member of steering committee and policy committee of First Suburbs Project of Southeastern PA
• Volunteer community organizer of Team Norristown for President Barack Obama during the primary and volunteer faith-outreach coordinator in Philadelphia and Suburbs during general election.

Education & Work History

• Earned bachelor's degree from Morehouse College and master's degree from Harvard University
• Expert in communications with over a decade in print and online media both as a writer, editor and manager

Family Life

• Happily married to Diana, a consultant in international development
• Father to a son, "EJ," born at Montgomery Hospital in 2007

I am a business-minded, creative-thinking, family-oriented, goal-focused public servant and entrepreneur. I was born in Greensboro, North Carolina and raised in Greensboro and Winston-Salem by parents who were public school teachers.

After graduation from Harvard University, I relocated to Norristown, PA and took a position with International Ministries, a $15 million, mainline Protestant Baptist mission agency based in Valley Forge, PA. During my tenure there, I managed flagship publications, revamped the website and produced fundraising materials, which generate $4 to $6 million annually. Presently, I am an freelance communications consultant who has worked on start-up websites and with small non-profits and faith-based organizations to meet basic communications needs.

Public and Community Service

Beyond work, I became deeply involved in public-private partnerships and community organizing to strengthen Norristown and the entire Delaware Valley region.  I was appointed to serve on the Norristown Zoning Hearing Board, where I heard cases of importance on the use of property throughout the municipality and helped render decisions on the best uses for development of our town.

My commitments include serving on the executive committee of "Heeding God's Call -- a Gathering on Peace," a movement of Christian churches and other faith partners to mobilize for peace on the local and global levels. This gathering has continued to be active in a Gun-violence Prevention Campaign in metro Philadelphia region.

I also serve with The First Suburbs Project of Southeastern Pennsylvania -- a regional community organization of local elected officials, religious groups, civic associations, colleges and universities and public policy agencies who all work together to focus investment and development in the Delaware Valley's first, inner ring suburban communities, such as Norristown. I played a key role in a September 2008 action at the St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Norristown, which had more than 600 participants and was addressed by the governor.

I currently serve on the steering committee and policy committee of this organization, working on key issues for our community such as infrastructure investment, equitable school funding, and eliminating concentrated poverty through planned fair housing region wide.

Education and Work History

I attended Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, where I earned a bachelor's degree, focused on humanities and sociology.

With a passion for writing and media communications, I was hired to work for Dow Jones News Service in New York City, and was published in The Wall Street Journal. I later moved to Washington, DC, where I worked for the Washington Business Journal -- a sister publication of the Philadelphia Business Journal. I was an award-winning journalist, covering small business and the financial services industry, including accounting, insurance, investment banking, venture capital and philanthropy.

During my years in Washington, I served my community by working with Project Northstar -- the Homeless Children's Tutorial Program, helping to build the organization into a major service agency to homeless children with an annual budget of $250,000. I was also the president of the Washington Association of Black Journals, serving nearly 200 media professional and raising tens of thousands of dollars for youth career development programs and activities for professional networking and socializing.

In 1999,  I took my first plunge into a web-based start-up, LocalBusiness.com. From there I worked at America Online.

After nearly a decade of success in media communications, I attended Harvard University, where I earned a master's degree, with a focus on religion and public policy. I worked in key programs at the Divinity School, the Business School and the African Presidential Archive and Research Center at Boston University, where I was mentored by Ambassador Charles R. Stith.

I was also active in the community, serving on staff at the Massachusetts Avenue Baptist Church, working for Project Manna -- a faith-based program for the hungry and homeless.

Family Life

I am married to the former Diana Aubourg. Diana is a consultant in international development, with a focus on vulnerable children and HIV/AIDS. She formerly served as executive director of Save Africa's Children, a faith-based non-profit based in Los Angeles, CA.We have one son, Edouard Josef, "EJ," who is almost 2 years old and was born at Montgomery Hospital.

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