For more than 7 years, I served as executive director of Central Valley Justice Coalition in Fresno, CA. Before that, I worked at Northpark Community Church for nearly 9. Recently, I relocated to the greater Sacramento area where I am a writer and editor for the State of California.
I grew up overseas, often witnessing extreme poverty up close in cities and villages around the world. I returned to the Fresno area when I was 16. Once back in The States, I gradually became aware that injustice and poverty were routinely met with indifference from the general public. This realization helped to fuel a lifelong mission of fighting for the poor and led to advocacy work with World Vision, The ONE Campaign, CASA, Freedom From Hunger, and No More Slumlords. In all, I've accumulated over 20 years of experience in nonprofit work.
I graduated from Cal State Fullerton with a bachelor’s degree in print journalism and earned a master’s degree in ministry, leadership, and culture from Fresno Pacific University. While at CSUF, I served as a staff writer, assistant news editor, and managing editor for the Daily Titan newspaper. After graduation, I interned at Warner Music Group and continued working for the company as a music critic for Rhino Magazine. Currently, I'm honored to be on the advisory board for the Women in Leadership Executive Program at the University of California Riverside Extension alongside executives from Fortune 500 companies such as Disney, SpaceX, and Amazon.
My wife, Rebekah Townsend, is a teaching pastor at Green Valley Community Church and together, we have three children. An avid music fan and songwriter, I grew up playing in punk and rock bands. In 2021, my band, the overdubs, signed a deal with London-based Animal Farm Music and organized a series of shows to benefit Central Valley Justice Coalition. Other interests include going to the movies, not smiling in photographs, graphic design, fixed-gear cycling, and performing mediocre stand-up comedy in dank, smelly dive bars.
