“Democracy is not a spectator sport. Use your voice.”bio
Early Life
I was born in Northern California but grew up on a horse ranch in rural Illinois, outside a small town not much larger than Willits. Life there was shaped by open land, long days, and a deep sense of responsibility to family, neighbors, and the place you call home.
Both my parents worked in healthcare, my father as a small-town physician and my mother as a nurse. My father and grandfather both served in the U.S. Army, and my mother volunteered as a military nurse. She later led the Mothes Against Drunk Drivers chapter in our county. From them, I learned that civic service is practical, hands-on work, simply part of living in a community, especially a small one.
Growing up, I was involved in 4-H, Boy Scouts, music, and soccer. Summers meant reading, roaming the woods, and competing in the county fair horse show and rodeo circuit. I was a curious kid who didn't always sit well with authority. I spent my share of time in the principal's office for asking hard questions, such as why some religious holidays appeared on the school calendar while others didn't – and refusing to accept "because" as an answer.
In high school, I played music, wrote and took photos for the school paper, and joined Amnesty International and the Sierra Club. I started the school's environmental club and went before the city council to request our first Earth Day proclamation, organizing a candlelight vigil on the steps of City Hall, planting trees for residents, and raising money for the city park. I worked multiple jobs through college: refereeing youth soccer, teaching Sunday School, doing graphic design, and scooping ice cream.
In 1995, I returned to California, but things didn't go as planned. Plans fell through while I was still on the road, so with a few hundred dollars and plenty of student debt, my cat Huckleberry and I spent several months living in my car or on friends' couches. The kindness of strangers turned things around for me. I got back on my feet because people were willing to open their doors and offer enough help for me to get back on my feet.
I found work at a coffee shop, then at Prudential Healthcare, and in January 1999, I started a career with Pacific Bell, moonlighting as a DJ and club promoter until I finally paid off my student loans in 2000.
A Career in OPERATIONS
In 2000, I accepted a management role with AT&T in the Bay Area, beginning what would become a 25-year career focused on improving how organizations work. I specialized in operations, technology, and organizational culture, with a particular focus on fixing broken processes. Along the way, I discovered an innate ability to make groups more effective while improving both customer satisfaction and employee morale. I worked with organizations including Prudential, Pacific Bell, SBC, and AT&T, eventually serving as a Technical Director overseeing complex, multi-million-dollar projects supporting thousands of employees worldwide.
After leaving AT&T, I purchased a 1917 multifamily building that had been red-tagged after years of neglect and spent more than a year restoring it into certified eco-friendly apartments. During that time, I launched a consulting practice serving nonprofits and small businesses, focusing on sustainability, operations, technology, and practical problem-solving. That work introduced me to the concept of Servant Leadership and changed the direction of my life. Applying the skills I had developed in the corporate world to real community problems turned out to be deeply fulfilling, and that sense of purpose is ultimately what led me to run for the Board of Supervisors.
Service to Community
After years of visiting the area and once our daughter Sloan went off to college at UC Santa Cruz, my wife, Dr. Jillian Tatum, and I decided to move to Mendocino County permanently, settling into a small off-grid cabin in the mountains about 30 minutes outside Willits.
We both felt at home here quickly, each finding our own ways to engage with the community. Tatum built a reputation as an excellent and caring physician who advocated strongly for her patients, both as a primary care doctor at Baechtel Creek and as a hospitalist at all three Adventist hospitals. She is now Chief of Medicine at both Howard Memorial Hospital in Willits and Ukiah Valley Adventist Health in Ukiah.
Within weeks of our arrival, I became involved in organizing a Fire Safe Council for our neighborhood. When neighbors asked me to chair the group, I agreed. With the help of dedicated volunteers, we grew from serving about 40 properties to covering a 30-square-mile area southwest of Willits, supporting more than 1,000 residents. We expanded services to include education, defensible-space assessments, and community chipper days, and secured close to $1 million in outside funding to strengthen wildfire resilience.
That experience brought me back to the principles of Servant Leadership, the idea that leadership is service and that community needs come first. Since then, I have continued working with local organizations wherever I could be helpful, from WELL to the Mendocino County Civil Grand Jury.
Over time, I was asked to serve on several boards and advisory groups, including the Willits Center for the Arts, the Mendocino County Fire Safe Council, and the Mendocino Community Foundation. What began as volunteer service has grown into the central focus of my time and energy, and I am grateful for the opportunity to give back to the community I now call home.
"I am running for Supervisor because this kind of work—listening, fixing what is broken, and helping people navigate real problems—is what I have been doing my whole life. Mendocino County is a place defined by good people, strong communities, and a deep connection to the land. I want to help take care of it the same way so many residents here already take care of one another."About Eric
