I was raised in Tenino, Washington where he grew up on the banks of the Deschutes River, a small south Puget Sound watershed. It was there, with net and bucket in hand I developed his early love of aquatic life.  After graduating high school, I moved to Montana where I pursued two degrees, one in Wildlife Biology and one in Journalism at the University of Montana.  

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On top of my studies at UM, I worked on an undergraduate research project investigating the effect of whirling disease on salmonid assemblages in the Blackfoot River, Montana.  Apart from education,  I have worked in a variety of fisheries jobs, which have taken me to Alaska, Montana, Oregon, and finally back to Washington.  At UAF, my research focused on how climate change will affect early life stage development of Bristol Bay Sockeye Salmon. Now at Purdue, I investigate the contemporary evolution of pink salmon introduced into the Great Lakes using a variety of genomic and bioinformatic tools.

In my free time, I enjoy being outside with my family, usually hiking, fishing, or hunting. I am passionate about cooking, especially using harvested ingredients.