Meet CJ

Everybody’s got a story to tell. Here are a few of mine.

I like to describe my life as a collection of uncanny experiences. I have a tendency to end up in the middle of colorful occurrences—some are more perfect storms than calculated planning. How? I would call myself fearless, a risk-taker, and a friend who’s always ready for adventure and new lessons.

Some will say I am optimistic to a fault, and I say I am enthusiastic and passionate about enjoying every moment of this life we have. Our stories shape us, don’t they? Here are just a few snippets from some of the chapters I’ll be writing!

I scared the wits out of my parents when I took a job as the first director of PR for some crazy company selling some ‘fly-by-night’ mobile phone fad. I helped launch Cellular One, now AT&T Wireless.

As luck would have it, I got paired with none other than Jimi Hendrix’s dad on a public golf course in South Seattle—his parting words: ‘Just wish I could swing a club like Jimi could play the guitar!’

I was subpoenaed countless times by the likes of the FBI, USDOJ and SEC (and testified for days in a courtroom in Houston) for the trial-of-the-century against Enron, where I held a vice president of strategic communications position for the broadband division.

As a producer of the award-winning Town Hall program at KATU-TV, we broke the story on the stranger-than-fiction Rajneeshee cult that set up camp at the Big Muddy Ranch in Antelope, Oregon. Our crew actually fell victim to the cult’s food poisoning schemes. You ever see the Netflix doc, Wild, Wild Country? I was there!

I was the delegation leader to China for a team of national journalists on a tour of the tombs of the Chinese emperors. Just one of my duties as the marketing director for the Son of Heaven exhibition debuting in Seattle in 1988. We met the terracotta soldiers face-to-face and was part of the mission to bring them to the United States.

And the list goes on. Isn’t life full of surprises?

Background

I am a 3rd generation University of Oregon Duck and came into a love for journalism naturally—my grandfather was the editorial editor at The Oregonian for years. I was a producer/reporter at KATU Television, the ABC affiliate in Portland. And I have been a communications advisor for the beautiful Bend Magazine and Bend Home & Design for Oregon Media Publishing.

I am passionate about music and have been a playlist mixologist for decades. My love for music once landed me a role as a guest DJ on a Portland radio station.

My family and friends keep me busy with anything in the great outdoors and on the water—hiking, golf, boating and kayaking, theater, photography, wine tasting, Duck games, and our beloved road trips in this beautiful state of Oregon.

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