Paul’s Story
Born and raised just outside of Detroit, Michigan, Paul moved to Santa Barbara in 1986. He graduated from UCSB with a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies. His love of the outdoors and marine environment has kept him here along the central coast, as it has a perfect mix of backcountry and marine activities and adventures.
His first job in Ventura was during his college days as an intern volunteer interpretive naturalist for Channel Islands National Park on Anacapa Island. He fell in love with the islands and spent a decade working to educate people about them and protect them for future generations.
Paul continued to volunteer for the National Park Service while maintaining a position as a boat captain for Island Packers. In that role he educated thousands of visitors about the human and natural history of the Santa Barbara Channel, the Channel Islands, and the marine ecosystems and wildlife. In addition to education, as a boat captain Paul was directly responsible for the safety and lives of his passengers. That is a very big responsibility that he carried out safely and effectively.
Paul also worked as a Law Enforcement Ranger for the National Park Service. He was a backcountry ranger in Lassen Volcanic national Park, a Boat Patrol Ranger in Virgin Islands National Park, and a Boat Patrol Ranger in Channel Islands National Park for Anacapa and Santa Cruz Islands.
Paul has a big heart for animals that drives him to action, whether it’s picking up stray dogs or spending hours in the Sespe monitoring California Condor movements. When Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, Paul reached out to the Humane Society of the United States. His Search and Rescue skills were valuable, so they chose him to help with the massive search and rescue. The HSUS sponsored Paul for almost two weeks, as he picked through the massive wreckage of the city to help recover lost and injured animals in order to reunite them with their owners or to find new homes for them.
Paul shifted gears and moved into the world of IT in 2000 and has been excelling at it ever since. His role at the corporate world of FedEx has prepared him well for this role in city government.
“In my current position at FedEx I have two roles,” Paul explains. “The first is providing tech support to customers who are implementing a highly technical system of shipping hardware and software. I frequently translate the difficult technical terms used by the developers of that system into plain language that customers can understand.
The other part of my job is to represent the needs and desires of those customers to the developers, who can then create a better product. I can translate customer requirements and advocate for improvements in ways that customers cannot.
I see many correlations between my current job and the duties required of a Ventura City Council member. The interactions between the administration of Ventura and the citizens of Ventura require clear language and an even clearer view of solutions that will improve both the livability and economic vitality of our City. I’ve been a ‘go between’ for 12 years and will use those skills to help create a better ‘product’ – an even greater City where everyone has the opportunity to flourish.”
Paul and his wife Kellie love living in Ventura with their two children: an eight-year-old daughter and a five-year-old son. The family attends church at New Life Community Church. Paul takes a very active role in parenting his children as he wants to be sure they grow up to be well rounded, caring people who enjoy our planet in a responsible manner. He refs their AYSO teams and puts away money for their college fund. Paul enjoys boating, hiking, skiing, snowboarding, dirt biking, reading, camping, kayaking, pretty much anything outdoors and in the fresh air.