I grew up on a small family-run cattle ranch in Southern Arizona where my parents instilled in me an understanding of the importance and value of hard work, honesty, and working together as a community toward common goals. My mother ran a daycare for more than 40 years. My parents instilled in each of their four children a love of learning and the desire to seek out innovative solutions to everyday problems. I worked my way through college and law school. Upon graduation I joined a Scottsdale law firm where I worked extensively on civil and pro-bono cases. After my children entered elementary school several neighbors of mine urged me to run for school board. I had the honor of serving the children and hard-working families in my community for over a decade. It was at the urging of these men and women that I decided to run for Congress. I am active member of the church congregation at Saint Margaret's and I have served for 6 years on the Board of the Maricopa County Regional Chamber of Commerce. I met my wife Donna in college and we have been in love ever since. We were blessed with four children - twin boys, Matthew and Anthony, and two girls, Shannon and Deidre. I live with my wonderful family in Tempe where I continue to work on pro-bono cases for members of our community.
