I am a Fort Wayne native, and I enjoy my daily bike commute, touring, and leisure rides.  My beautiful wife, Rachel, and I have two wonderful children.  I have been a teacher with Fort Wayne Community Schools since 2005.

I became an avoid bike rider about 10 years ago.  I bought my first reliable car and quickly became discouraged at the cost.  A few years earlier, I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes and was learning the importance of exercise to managing my chronic illness.  I was struggling to find time to stay fit and frustrated with the cost of car ownership.

With the help of a generous brother-in-law, a bike fell into my lap.  I was excited to think of this bike as a path to more exercise but struggled to find time to ride.  So, I decided to ride to work.  From this day sprung a lifestyle change that has helped to save my life.  Over the next 10 years, I invested in a new bike and related gear to become a year round bike commuter.  In return, I have easily saved tens of thousands of dollar in car related cost.  With two school age children and two working adults, my family manages with one car.  My bike saves my family on health care, insurance, taxes, maintenance, gym memberships, mental health, and will likely help to extend my years as a working adult. And, helps me save for retirement.

Bicycling has also brought me closer to my community and helped me to engage in urban change.  I feel more connected to my neighbors and have a richer and fuller life because of cycling.

I am interested in living car light or car free and struggle with this goal. As my children grow and pressures of parenthood, marriage, and a career force me to find shortcuts.

I would love to see Fort Wayne become a leader in ridership and access to safe routes for all.  I believe this can be accomplished with a combination of infrastructure, educations, and encouragement and I hope Bicycle Friendly Fort Wayne can play a role in this change.