bio

My five years in Madagascar were some of the best life has given me, spent working in the field of sustainable community development at both the grassroots and programmatic levels.  Living in a rural village and working in partnership with the community as a Peace Corps Volunteer, I helped it to enhance local education through new libraries and schools; to improve community health through new clinics, solar powered vaccine storage and mosquito nets; to develop a network of community conservation projects, from artisans’ cooperatives to a nature reserve; and to build a solar-powered community radio station, nurturing it into a hub for local sustainable development activity. As I evolved as a community development coordinator I tried to grow as a photographer as well, using images to advocate for projects and raise awareness on issues with which I was involved, and to share the nuanced, intimate stories of the striking faces, extraordinary ecology and profound experiences with which Madagascar brought me in contact.

Prior to Madagascar were four extraordinary years at Lewis & Clark College in Portland, OR.  LC gave me more than I had hoped for, including a Bachelor of the Arts degree in International Affairs and Foreign Languages, Chairmanship of the International Affairs Symposium, a year studying in the Dominican Republic and interning with a Dominican-Haitian human rights NGO, a Student of the Year Award for that work, and a progressive, engaged, supportive community that has helped me to become the individual that I am today.

I doubt that I ever would have had the confidence and mettle to move from my hometown in Rhode Island, to the opposite end of the United States, and eventually to the opposite end of the world, had it not been for the North Kingstown Rotary Club, who selected me as their 1998 Rotary Exchange Student and sponsored me for a year of study in Chile, and have supported me ever since.  I remain grateful to the Rotary and to the countless others who have shown me their support over the years.

I hope to someday grow into a real photojournalist…  In the meantime, I continue to pursue the nexus of community media and community-based conservation, as a freelance photographer, writer, and consultant on various community development projects.

“Before I am anything I am human, and in this I am at one with the world.” (Ed Husain)

…but I’m also a pool shark.