Howdy, my name is Trenton! I was born & raised in Grand Traverse County.

My dad has delivered packages to the homes and businesses in Grand Traverse County for over 30 years, and my mom is a lifelong caregiver in our community. They decided to call Traverse City home after years of hopping from one Navy base to the other, with my sister in tow. They raised me to develop a strong work-ethic, grounded morals, and an ability to lead with love & compassion in all that I do.

After graduating from Traverse City Saint Francis High School, I attended the University of Michigan and majored in Sociology and Women’s Studies, where I developed a passion for social justice, activism, and education. I volunteered for a number of student organizations while attending U of M, including the Spectrum Center, the Sexual Assault Prevention & Awareness Center, and the Smile Bringer Singers!

After my undergraduate studies, I moved across the pond to London, England, where I lived and continued studying the political economy of digital media at the University of Westminster from 2015-2019. While there, I received my master’s degree in Social Media, Culture and Society, and worked as a Lecturer of Media Theory for 3 years. Living abroad during this time period was politically turbulent to say the least, and after seeing the shift in attitude towards Americans on the global stage after Trump was elected, I felt a drive to leave the ivory towers of academia and move back home to make an impact on the ground in the place where I feel most at home, right here in GT County.

I returned home in December 2019 and continued my teaching career at Interlochen Arts Academy, where I worked as both an Instructor of Humanities and Residence Life. Enter, global pandemic. Experiencing the effects that the pandemic had on political divisiveness at home and in the classroom and the ultimate toll this was taking on the mental health of our young people (and our teachers) first-hand, I felt called to do more to improve access to mental health care and to do what I could to bring people together and build community.

That is why I now work as a Media & Communications Specialist for North Country Community Mental Health, helping to make mental health services more accessible & equitable, and helping spread awareness of resources available in our community. It is not a profession I ever thought I would be a part of, but it is one that I am proud to have been called on to do.

I am running for GT County Commissioner because I love our community. We deserve leaders that will work tirelessly to help find compromise and forward-thinking solutions to the issues facing our region and bring people together. I believe that leaders should connect with folks on the ground by talking about the issues that matter and working collaboratively, across all social and political aisles, to find solutions.

That is the type of leadership that I promise to bring to Grand Traverse County.