The Touchstones of the American

Dream

Strength & Perseverance The child of a single mother, Jeff was raised in multiple towns and attended five high schools in four years. He spent his youth in a variety of suburban D.C. towns, constantly moving with his mom and sister until the family ended up in Roanoke, VA. On his first day at one of the two high schools he would attend in that town, Jeff discovered he was one of only 16 African-American students in the school. Through hard work and faith in the goodness of people, Jeff overcame the obstacles thrown his way and constructed a future for himself.

Hard Work & Commitment to Serve Jeff joined the U.S. Army in 2004 and served in Operation Iraqi Freedom, where he worked as a 74D Chemical Operations Specialist, and was awarded the Combat Action Badge. Coming home, he enrolled in Strayer University, where he made the Dean’s Honor Roll while working full time. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Information Systems. In addition to his Army service, Jeff has been employed by the Naval Research Lab Federal Credit Union, Capital One, and the National Association of City and County Health Officials.