I’m not a politician.  I didn’t grow up in a wealthy or connected family. I was raised by two public school teachers. They poured their hearts and souls into their students and showed me what public service is really about. 

When I turned 18, I joined the military. I graduated from West Point two months before the attacks on 9/11. After graduation, I studied at Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar and then deployed to Iraq as an infantry officer. I served around the world as a Green Beret.

I served in combat zones with some of the bravest Americans out there. I realized what makes this country special are the values that unite us. Those I served alongside came from different backgrounds and held a wide range of beliefs. When we were overseas defending this country, we worked together to achieve our objectives - we never stopped to ask each other: what political party are you a part of? Our shared mission was protecting America.

After my military service and a successful career in business, I had the privilege of serving our state as the President of the University of Montana for eight years. Our goals were clear: expand opportunity for every single Montanan and fuel the growth of our state’s economy. Through a lot of hard work, we turned around enrollment, stabilized the university’s finances, achieved record-high graduation rates, doubled our research output, and were named the #1 military-friendly university in the nation, We launched new and innovative workforce development programs with employers across Montana that have become a model for other universities. We did this by working across geographic, political and ideological divides for the sake of our common goals everyday.  We did not pit people against each other to achieve our goals - we came together…without regard to political party. Our mission was putting Montanans First. 

My wife is a fifth-generation Montanan, a Bobcat, and a pediatrician who has dedicated her career to improving health care for rural and American Indian children across our state. Together, we’re raising three amazing kids to be proud 6th-generation Montanans. Our shared mission is the Montana we all want for the next generation.