I love my community! My wife, Kari, and I hand-picked Maple Grove as the ideal place for our growing family’s home, and we moved to the Parkview neighborhood in 2021. Our three sons, Daniel (9), Frederick (7), and Justin Junior (JJ – 4) love playing at Central Park, exploring the miles of trails in the city, ice skating at the Loop, and swimming at the Community Center. Since moving to Maple Grove, I have been amazed by the sense of connectedness and good will shared among those I’ve met. I want to harness that culture and bring it to the City Council Chambers for the benefit of ALL residents.
I grew up in Chanhassen, MN and decided to attend the University of Wisconsin – Madison for college. At Madison, I held leadership positions in the co-ed service fraternity, Alpha Phi Omega. I also held an internship with Second Harvest Foodbank of Southern Wisconsin, where I cultivated a passion for helping others.
After moving back to the Twin Cities, I worked the night shift as an EMT at Abbott Northwestern Hospital for four years. As a union member, I learned about the value of organized labor. Since my heart was always in helping communities through prevention and systems change, I went to graduate school at the University of Minnesota – School of Public Health. I earned a Master of Public Health degree in Public Health Administration and Policy. I’ve worked in Public Health for Isanti, Anoka, and Hennepin Counties over the past 10 years. I currently work for Hennepin County as an Administrative Manager in the Public Health department, leading and overseeing complex projects with strategic value to the department and the community.
Throughout my life, I’ve centered giving back to the community and helping my neighbors. I’ve been active in my faith community, including directing musical plays, leading Sunday School activities, traveling to Mexico on mission trips, and serving as a Church Council member. I also help neighbors in need through food support and donations, cleaning up trash, participating in fundraisers, organizing health screenings and blood donations, and other activities.
My work in Public Health has given me many opportunities to serve my community. Over the years, I revised key public health ordinances, led large-scale planning efforts around community health assessment and health improvement plans, served as Planning Section Chief during the COVID-19 pandemic response, organized community engagement efforts to understand and address health needs, analyzed complex data, communicated with the public through print, video, and social media, and built coalitions to address emerging public health needs such as domestic violence and food insecurity.
I believe my background and skillset have prepared me well to serve as your next Maple Grove City Council member. My intention is to engage with community residents and leverage my experiences to serve the City of Maple Grove in a compassionate and inclusive way.
Justin for Maple Grove City Council 