About Raj

My wife Jenn and I met as co-workers at the Burlington Free Press in the late 1990s. She was an editor in Sports, and I was a photojournalist. We married in 1999 and have called Essex Junction home since 2002. We raised our daughters here, and marvel at the fact that they’ve spent their lives largely in one community, as Jenn and I both moved every few years growing up. I had the good fortune of living in a number of different states, as well Europe and Asia, before moving to Vermont in 1987.  

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I began working as a photojournalist in my teens, and I graduated from the Rochester Institute of Technology in 1997. I’ve worked for various newspapers, wire services and magazines as a staff photojournalist, photo editor and freelance photojournalist. I joined the Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont as a medical photographer in 2005 and documented life at the medical school and UVM Health for about 10 years. I transitioned to educational technology for a period, and now I lead an IT group at the medical school. In that time, I earned a Master’s in Public Health from the medical school in 2018. 

 

I’ve been active in our community since arriving, working on various volunteer efforts in our schools, recreation department, in the equity space and for the city.

 

I believe there’s a common thread in my past. Journalism, community service, serving in public office, and public health, all concern themselves with building community, bringing people together, educating and informing and lifelong learning. I am a nerd for systems work, problem solving and learning about people and what motivates them. I love listening to (and telling) people’s stories. My photography has always revolved around people and their stories, and how they fit (or don’t)  within their communities. 

 

Our daughters are grown, one finishing at UVM and the oldest two daughters are nurses in Tennessee and Seattle. I’m filling my time with mountain biking, hiking, skiing CrossFit and being a grandfather. Iif I win this city council race, I’ll add serving Essex Junction for another three years to that list.