Birth through High School (1971-89)

I was born in Lundazi, Zambia in 1971. My parents were Canadian teachers with CUSO. We spent some time in Reading, England, where my brother, Mark, was born in 1975 (Mark now runs the UBC Farm; my parents raise money for families in Zambia, Malawi and South Africa who have lost loved ones to AIDS). I grew up in

Undergraduate days (1989-95)

After graduation I spent a year (1989-90) studying Japanese in Kobe, Japan. I returned to Canada to study plant science at the University of British Columbia, in Vancouver. I enjoyed co-op work terms as
I was very involved with the Newman Club at UBC, serving terms as treasurer (1991-92) and president (1992-93). I also fell into student activism when I refused to cross picket lines during a staff strike (1992), and actively supported the striking workers. 
 

Grad School and Employment (1995-99)

I graduated from UBC in 1995, married my first love, Ga Ching Kong, and enrolled in the Master of Pest Management program at Simon Fraser University. I wanted to help find practical alternatives to chemical pesticides.
 
Ga Ching and I struggled through four turbulent years of marriage while I finished my master's degree (portions of my 1998 thesis are published here and here) and started working as a fruit and vegetable pest management consultant.
 
In 1999 Ga Ching started a masters degree at York University, in Toronto. I quit my job to follow her, but we broke up soon after I arrived, and started divorce proceedings. I worked briefly at the University of Guelph Muck Crops Research Station while trying to figure out what to do next.
 
I was feeling disillusioned with the philosophy of Integrated Pest Management, which claims to use chemical pesticides only as a last resort, but too often dismisses other alternatives as impractical. I was interested in how organic growers manage pests without using any synthetic pesticides.
 

Grad School All Over Again (2000-04)

I happened upon an advertisement seeking graduate students to work on an Organic Research Project at West Virginia University, in Morgantown. I was vaguely aware that West Virginia was a state (thanks to John Denver's Country Roads), and it was within driving distance of Toronto, so I went down to meet the people involved with the project. They made a good impression: In 2000 I started a PhD working on their 80 acre research farm in transition to organic production. The project's grower advisory committee wanted studies related to companion planting, and I stepped up to bat.
 
I had a great time in West Virginia. I was very involved with a student group that attempted to raise awareness of economic justice issues in West Virginia and around the world. I lived in a big, tumble-down communal house, along with 17 fascinating roommates over 3 years. I fell in love with Kiersten Moore, who was completing her MFA in theatrical scenic design. We were married in 2003.
 
I completed my dissertation, and graduated, in 2004. Kiersten and I spent the summer in Charlottesville, Virginia, where she built a set for the Ashlawn Opera Company and I cooked for the technical crew while I waited for my work permit to come through. 

Career and Family (2004 - Present)

In the fall we moved to Patch Adams' Gesundheit Institute, where I was considering a career as an organic gardener, supplying food for the people developing his free hospital. Mid-way through our stay there I received a job offer from Kentucky State University, which was aiming to become a leader in organic agriculture research. I decided to accept it, and we moved to Frankfort in November of 2004.
 
We love our community here in Frankfort. We live within walking distance of the university, so I get my daily exercise while Kiersten drives back-and-forth to her job as the resident scenic and lighting designer at the Lexington Children's Theatre. Our first child, Liam, was born in April, 2006.