About Jay

I take inspiration from the lives of my forefathers before Communism was established in China. Back when my father’s side lived in northern China, one was a local sheriff, another, a horse-mounted militia member, and yet another, a tack craftsman and whip maker. My mother’s side lived on the outskirts of Shanghai (on the east coast of China), owning a fine permacultural farmland that had been meticulously managed and cultivated for generations, later getting driven out from their own home by boots and bayonets during WWII, while the farmland got turned into a military airport. 

From both halves of my heritage, I fully understand what liberty, property rights, rule of law, farming, hard work, and the traditional way of life mean.

When I became a naturalized U.S. citizen, I declared, on oath, to support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic, and to bear true faith and allegiance to the same.

Today, being a first-gen farmer who chose to settle in Mesa County, learning all the things that have been going on around the country and in our region, experiencing firsthand the difficulties and red tape to start a farm, and witnessing farmland’s erosion by urbanization and housing developments, I feel an obligation to step forward and make my best effort to correct what is not right. It would be an honor to be elected as one of the commissioners of our great Mesa County who strives to support agriculture and reduce government overreach.

• PhD Candidate in Computer Science and Electrical Engineering at Colorado School of Mines (CSM)

• Master of Science in Electrical Engineering at South Dakota School of Mines and Technology (SDSM&T), Rapid City, South Dakota

• Bachelor of Engineering in Computer Science (with a focus in Information Security) at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China

• Farmer & co-owner of our family-run raw cow milk dairy and regenerative farm in Mack

• Lead software engineer at a regional cultural resource management firm with offices in Grand Junction, Eagle, Golden, and Bismarck, North Dakota

• In-class 7th-9th grade math tutor at Jefferson Jr/Sr High School in Edgewater

• Golf Outside Services at The Club at Rolling Hills country club in Golden

• Graduate Technical Internship on neuro/spinal/cranial surgery navigation projects at Medtronic Navigation in Louisville

• Graduate Teaching and Research Assistantships in math, computer science, and electrical engineering departments at CSM and SDSM&T

• Event Waiter/Cashier/Sandwich Compiler/Grill Master/Pizza Chef at SDSM&T Aramark

• Board member and Vice President of Lakewood Historical Society

• Former volunteer IT support and sound tech for Lakewood City Council Ward 5 monthly community meetings

• Former board member and Secretary of previous residence’s HOA

• Contributed to citizen petitions in Lakewood and Westminster to stop centennial farmland from being developed into high density housing projects

  • Schnell Farm, Lakewood (Denver Post report)

  • Westminster Castle Farm, Westminster

  • White Fence Farm Restaurant, Lakewood

• Contributed to citizen petitions in Golden to save the Jefferson County Fairgrounds from closing due to funding deficiency

• Created the YouTube channel Rocky Mountain Observable to livestream and record public meetings that would not have been accessible by remote audiences or available in real time https://www.youtube.com/@RockyMountainObservable/playlists

Author/inventor of multiple U.S. Patents and patent applications on automated antler trophy scoring, AR/VR, computer vision based localization, and digital forms

• Colorado School of Mines Graduate Fellowship 2013

• Best Technical Paper of the 2011 International Aerial Robotics Competition, Grand Forks, North Dakota