Growing Up in Prince George 's County

Jason is a product of Prince George 's County public schools and has spent most of his life in Prince George's County. His father is a Marine who joined the Corps out of high school. His mother is an IT professional and a former alderman in Cleveland, Ohio . The family moved to Upper Marlboro's Marlboro Meadows from Cleveland in 1975. He also lived in Kettering, Lanham and Beltsville. He and his wife currently reside in Montgomery County.  He attends Rainbow Family Christian Center.

Jason credits his parents with making him the man he is today.  His mother grew up in Alabama and father in southwestern Virginia. They instilled in him four ideas critical to his development – the importance of family, the need to learn, hard work, and the need to help others. Through his family, he became an avid reader and learned the power of ideas. Through his parents' struggles, the value of hard work was further ingrained into his views on life. His family's encouragement, including his five older brothers and sisters, led to his being accepted to Eleanor Roosevelt's science and technology program.

Jason developed an interest in politics as a result of his mother's leadership as Chapter President of BDPA (formerly Black Data Processing Associates, Inc.), an IT industry related organization, where he met and was exposed to outstanding individuals who were talking not just about information technology, but about politics and other issues that were important to the lives of working people.

Ideas to Action

Always a lover of fast moving mechanical things –cars, trains, and planes, Jason first wanted to be a fighter pilot, but decided to go to college to further his interest in public affairs.

Enrolled in the University of Maryland, College Park 's aerospace engineering program, Jason focused on the design of air breathing aircraft. He joined the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and the National Society of Black Engineers. Through these organizations, Jason was able to fully appreciate his parents' resolve for his education as he began to tutor and help students on and off campus. He is very appreciative of everything that his family has done for him.

Closer to graduation, Jason took some elective courses that influenced his thoughts on what was important to him, especially a course on nuclear non-proliferation. Subsequent to earning his degree in aerospace engineering, Jason was accepted into the University of Maryland's joint Masters of Business Administration and Masters of Public Management program to study finance and public sector financial management (public policy). By the time he was legally allowed to compete in 1994, Jason made his first run for public office in Prince George's County.  During that process, he met many great people whose encouragement, ideas and concerns remain with him to this day.

From Weapons to Water

After graduate school, Jason began to work for an industry that many of us take for granted – environmental engineering. He went to work for a large multinational engineering, procurement and construction firm, as a financial and management consultant to water utilities. His work has given him not only a much greater appreciation for the environment, but a greater appreciation and understanding of the huge challenges that the nation faces.

Running for Congress

I believe I can do the best job for you, the same way I felt the time I first ran for office over 10 years ago. Today I am smarter and wiser than I was back then, but my passion for serving my fellow citizens has not lessened. I have a vision for the future well being of the 4th District and I have a plan for what I would want to do for you as your Representative.

Like many of you, I've been skeptical of many of our elected officials who appear to crave influence and power over people. I also feel like I am always choosing between the lesser of evils. I cannot tolerate it anymore. I am running to represent you. I will prove to you that I'm worthy of being voted for, rather than just voting against Congressman Albert Wynn.  Congressman Wynn's tenure as our Representative has been a waste of time, taxpayer dollars and opportunity. Showing up and sending surrogates to every organization in the District after 15 years of neglect still does not constitute actual leadership, care or respect.  I fault our Congressman for his many votes against the interests of the constituents of the 4th District, including the Iraq war, which was made out of fear of being wrong rather than any actual conviction. I could not fault him for trying to do something for us and failing. However, I can fault him for not even trying.