Because that’s what someone did for me. I connect schools, universities, families, funders and employers so more students get where they’re going.
I grew up in Van Buren, Arkansas, a town of about 16,000. I made straight A’s in its public schools and couldn’t connect any of it to anything real. At Joseph Pfeifer Kiwanis Camp outside Little Rock, I saw what learning was for, and I met the person who influenced my life more than anyone: Sanford Tollette.
Every role since has been a version of what he did for me.
Each pillar is one part of my career. Open any of them to learn more.
I’ve taken four well-known assessments since 2018. They were scored by different companies using different methods, and they agree on more than I expected.
Very open to new ideas, highly disciplined, and steady under stress (a low Neuroticism score means pressure doesn’t rattle me).
“Congenial and cooperative with an efficient, precise work ethic.”
What helps me do my best work: a clear role and expectations, room to keep learning, variety over repetition, and people to work with.
“Quiet visionaries, often serving as inspiring and tireless idealists.” Advocates look for purpose in their work and are driven to fix problems at the root, not just manage them.
Advocates value deep, honest relationships and meaningful conversation, and they measure success by the good they do more than by status.
Sep 5, 2026In March 2014, along with Mike Michella and Eric DeVries from Pfeifer Camp, we took a road trip out west.
Aug 12, 2026Something is or it isn’t.
Aug 10, 2026Schools “struggle” to change because people “struggle” to change.
Feb 26, 2026Does everybody know what a shell game is?
Nov 25, 2025Most people live in the Waiting Place.
Oct 11, 2025Have you ever had a phone call that changed your life?
Oct 11, 2025An only child and first-generation college student from Northwest Arkansas…
Oct 28, 2024On the morning of September 21, 2024, I was sitting on my porch, drinking coffee and reading an article…
Bite-size briefs on school choice, workforce, higher ed and learning outside. Every number on every page traces to a source you can check at the bottom.
Florida has 34.7 million acres of land, and a third of it is protected for nature, almost all of the state's share open to the public. The question isn't whether there's room to learn outside. It's whether rules, heat and growth leave room to use it.
The college wage premium is real: bachelor's holders earn about 63% more a week. But lenders, for-profit colleges and foundations built on student-loan money also pushed the message, and 52% of new grads land in jobs that don't need their degree.
A church can seat hundreds on Sunday. A few dozen homeschool students on Tuesday can trigger a sprinkler retrofit. This draft closes the facility gaps that keep Florida families waiting for seats.
Thirty-eight funding streams, sorted by what kind of organization you are. Tell the tool what you are and it shows which doors open, which need a public institution in the middle, and which are closed by statute.
We verified 36 workforce programs open to Hillsborough County residents, from free apprenticeships to paid summer jobs. They're spread across a dozen websites, and none we reviewed publish placement results.
Focused career and technical education raises graduation and employment in rigorous studies. But only 1 in 10 teens reports knowing about apprenticeships, and Colorado's flagship youth apprenticeship reached 6% of its goal.
Surveys say high schoolers are pulled toward work by a clear career path and hands-on learning, and pushed by the cost of college. But only 1 in 10 teens reports knowing about apprenticeships, and 1 in 5 grads who skip college and look for work is unemployed.
Trades content is booming on TikTok and Instagram, and career apps court teens as young as 13. But we found no rigorous study showing any social platform moves high schoolers into trades careers.
A handful of US workforce programs have randomized proof that they raise earnings 20–30%. Florida is scaling apprenticeships and certifications fast, but it tracks growth and wages, not what its programs actually cause.
Ken Griffin's record gift sends two-thirds of its money to a brand-new Carnegie Mellon campus in Miami. It's the clearest sign yet that megadonors, not state planners, are deciding where elite universities grow.
In Florida, Arizona and Utah, public school districts now sell classes, sports and career-tech seats to families paying with ESA money. Florida signed up most of its districts. In Arizona, the money is still a rounding error.
In some states, K–12 education savings accounts already pay for college tuition, dual-credit courses and university-run online schools. No public report we found shows how much of that money reaches colleges.
Kids focus better after time in nature. Whether nature schools build better attention is a question nobody has answered yet.
Dustin is married to Marcela Jimenez Ramirez. They have a nine-year-old beagle, hound and lab mix named Sebastian. Dustin also plays lead guitar and contributes original songs to the folk outfit the Lilly Jane Band.
Complete work history, presentations, publications, awards and skills.