I grew up in Kingsville and graduated from Edgewood High School in 1991.  I earned my bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Anthropology / Archaeology from Kent State University.  Mapping work I did for my master’s thesis allowed me to get a job with Lake County’s Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Department where I’ve worked for the last 17 years rising from a technician to the head of the department.

I was very fortunate to find a job in the area and fulfill my goal of moving back to Kingsville after college and being able to raise my children in the same safe, welcoming community that fostered my growth. I was also very lucky to be able to salvage my great-grandfather’s 1837 timber frame home from Richmond Heights and rebuild it on a portion of my parent’s farm on Route 84.

Running for Trustee, I hope to give back to the community that has supported my family and ancestors for many generations.  The Branch’s moved to Kingsville Township in the 1800’s and have been a part of the local community ever since.  My grandmother was an elementary school teacher at Kingsville. My father, Richard Branch, graduated from Kingsville High School and went on to teach math for 32 years at Edgewood High School.  My mother graduated from Edgewood High School and went on to start her own business, Branch’s Ceramics, in Kingsville.  I don’t believe this lineage gives me any special status running for trustee but rather obligates me to work hard to honor the memory of those who have come before me and the family that still supports me.

My wife, Mariana, who I met in college, quickly took to Kingsville’s small-town charm.  She currently works at the Kingsville Public Library where she has been the director for the last 8 years. Our children, Lilijana and Nick both attend Edgewood High School. I know life may take them far away but I want to help make Kingsville a place they will consider staying in or coming back to.