Candidate for
Council Member; City of Richmond

I am a Bay area native who was born in Monterey in 1968 and lived in San Jose until the age of six. After my mother, a former teacher and single mother lost her battle to cancer in 1974, I moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where I was adopted and raised by my cousin, Diana Krajewski, and my step father, Donald Krajewski.

Diana and Donald, both campus police officers for more than 20 years, taught me the value of hard work, responsibility, and making sacrifices to get things done. I am also the proud brother of the late Terence Thurmond, Jerome Dawson, Rena Dawson, and Ayana Krajewski.

I was first turned on to politics during my tenure as the student body president for the 30,000 students at Temple University (Philadelphia, Pennyslvania). Here I earned a BA in Psychology. I did my graduate work at Bryn Mawr College, where I received dual Masters Degrees in Law and Social Policy and Social Work.

After a successful career in the Philadelphia area, spanning the disciplines of social work, education, and nonprofit management, I returned to the Bay Area. I have lived here with my wife Kristin since 1998. We made Richmond our home in 2000, where we now raise our daughters, Maya and Jayden.

I continue to work for nonprofit causes, particularly education, mentoring, and other programs that support youth. When I'm not immersed in political activities, I enjoy watching and playing sports and spending time with Kristin, our daughters, and our friends.

I am also a trained actor who has appeared in a national cable commercial and in numerous videos for Bay Area corporations and nonprofit organizations. I love music and have sung on stage with my brother, Jerome Dawson, a jazz muscian (airjazzproductions.com), and with the Glide gospel ensemble in San Francisco.