About Justin
My background:
I grew up in Waterville and rural Dexter, a community north of Bangor and attended schools both in Waterville and Dexter. My family moved to Boston when I turned 16 and I finished high school at Noble and Greenough School in Dedham, Massachusetts. Having received a golf scholarship, I attended Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana and graduated with a Bachelor's in Business in 1998. Later that year, I turned professional golfer and spent time in South Africa, Canada and the Eastern United States for close to two years.
Professional path:
In 2000, I gave up my professional golf path and took a job with an internet company outside of Orlando, Florida. After six months I moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts and took a job managing a retail food store in the South End of Boston. In 2001, I moved to New York City and worked for a real estate developer, learning the trade. Finally, I returned to Maine in 2003 and began the Maine League of Young Voters in 2004.
Engaging Maine's Voters:
I was the State Director for the League of Young Voters, an organization devoted to developing new ways to educate, engage and mobilize young people around community issues, elections, and dynamic cultural events. The success of the League of Young Voters over the past four years was amazing. Under my leadership, the League successfully mobilized young people across the state, changed local and state laws, and elected great candidates statewide. For example, in 2006, the League passed a City of Portland ordinance, inclusionary zoning, providing developers with incentives to build affordable housing. Also in 2006, the League was a major stakeholder that guided and passed the Maine Energy Efficiency Disclosure Form for rental units statewide. Finally, the League was also a founding partner of Opportunity Maine, resulting in a 2007 state law that expands higher educational opportunities to all students in Maine. In 2008, I stepped down as State Director of the League to run for the State Senate.
Serving Maine:
Having lived and worked in diverse areas of Maine, the experiences I have gathered are a part of what inspires me to serve. I love working with people, listening and solving problems. I am hard-working, dependable, honest and forward-looking. At my core, I am an organizer and collaborator and look forward to bringing these qualities to Augusta as the State Senator for Portland's District 8.
My late grandfather once said to me, "It was Maine that made me what I am, and now I want to help make the lives of Mainers better." These words are what make me proud to be a Mainer and motivate me for public service. Striving to be part of that important legacy, I want to be part of the solution to make Maine an even better place to live, work, and play.
I live in Portland's Munjoy Hill neighborhood with my partner, Rachael.
