State Representative, 54th district; Illinois General Assembly

I grew up in the northern suburbs of Chicago as the third of four boys. For our
elementary school years, we attended a Christian school that our parents helped to launch in the late 1960s. Hillsdale became a family affair, as my younger brother (Rob, ’99) followed me to Hillsdale and met his future wife (Sheri, ’00). Radio broadcasting was a hobby and a potential career interest for me, and so I applied for and received a job offer at WCSR radio in the town of Hillsdale. For three years, three nights a week, I had a 6 p.m. to midnight shift as a live DJ, news reader, commercial voice talent, and sports feature producer. On-air time at another station in nearby Angola, Indiana, also helped to land me a paid internship at WGN radio in Chicago. After bouncing around in the radio and television broadcasting world for a few years, I returned to my grade school alma mater to teach 5th grade. I truly wanted to help influence the next generation based upon the truths that I had learned growing up and at Hillsdale. Six years later, my oldest brother and I decided to take a business risk with the intent of making more money and having more flexibility with our
schedules. We partnered together to buy a disaster cleanup franchise that needed new management. In another six years, we had built up the staff and grown the business fourfold. In 2009, the Tea Party movement gained steam, and activists in Palatine asked me to run against the incumbent Republican state representative in the upcoming primary election. Without a previous elected office or media endorsements, and with roughly half the funds of the incumbent, my volunteers and I ran a very effective grassroots campaign and won by 8%. We went on to win the 2010 general election by 24%. Dozens of voters I met for the very first time told me they’d support me simply due to my Hillsdale education. My wife Bethany and I have been married since 2002, and we have two young children--a boy and a girl. We enjoy hiking, biking, swimming, and tennis for fitness and fun.

America truly is an exceptional country that has been greatly blessed for generations due to the vision and sacrifice of our forefathers.

We are living in very serious times, and a Hillsdale education will help prepare you to think and to lead. Furthermore, I advise prospective students to get to know their classmates and professors well. They will become friends and mentors for life. In hindsight, I probably should have spent less time working off campus. It was good to earn some money while getting some valuable experience and doing something I loved, but eventually there were diminishing returns. Just months before graduation, I realized how much more I would have gotten out of my Hillsdale experience if I had poured more time into my studies and friends. Four years will go by very, very quickly, and it’s best to focus on why you’re there in the first place.

My parents were familiar with Hillsdale because of former Illinois Congressman (and Hillsdale alumnus and current trustee) Phil Crane. They knew that I was interested in American history and politics and suggested that I visit the campus and check it out for myself. You know that sign on M-99, “Hillsdale: It’s the people”? Well, the students, professors, and staff that I met won me over very quickly; they were friendly, articulate, and genuinely passionate about the College.

During my college years, I learned that our guiding principles and freedoms have enabled America to advance faster, farther, and better than any other in world history. Hillsdale imparted to me that our unique and rich history must be shared with and understood by current and future generations if we are to remain great. Freedom and its benefits are not guaranteed and are certainly worth fighting for. Hillsdale prepared me to love learning for a lifetime and to enthusiastically share with others what I’ve learned. On a practical note, my career path has been pretty atypical, and Hillsdale’s rigorous liberal arts curriculum and meaningful extra-curricular activities (like speech/debate, Student Federation, journalism, art, drama, and music appreciation) helped me to be successful in these disparate fields.

I genuinely loved everything about my four years at Hillsdale, but for me, the Center for Constructive Alternatives seminars were a major highlight. We closely interacted with outstanding nationally and internationally-known speakers as they discussed fascinating topics. I frequently attended the presentations even if I wasn’t taking that particular CCA for credit. Stimulating student and faculty discussions afterward were an added bonus.

trm1500@gmail.com