PR Employee Spotlight - Jason

Today we are spotlighting Jason, =PR= employee and local elementary school PE teacher! Jason has worked for =PR= for almost 12 years. He started running with his dad in elementary school and has been running ever since! In addition to working part-time at =PR= Jason is a full-time elementary school PE teacher where he inspires his students daily through his passion and creative lessons. Jason has run countless races over the years including 5Ks, 10Ks, 10 milers, half marathons, marathons, and more. If you attend a =PR= race you'll be sure to see Jason there as he runs almost all of them! Learn more about Jason, his running journey, and his teaching career below!  

I ran my first 5K in elementary school with my Dad and immediately loved it!  I ran at least 1-2 5ks with my Dad each year in elementary school.  I made the cut for my club running team in Middle School.  I also participated in winter track in High School.  In college, I continued to run 20-30 miles per week and joined the club Triathlon team on their long runs.  I also discovered Potomac River Running when I was home from college and visited the Burke store every time I came home as an undergraduate and graduate student.  Soon after graduate school, I applied to work at Potomac River Running and was hired.  Within the first couple weeks, customers were constantly asking me "How many marathons have you run?", and since I was tired of answering "0", I upped my training and ran two of them. Since then, I have run countless =PR= 10 mile, 20 K and half marathon races with fellow employees and loved every minute of it!   

I have worked at =PR= for 11.5 years (12 year anniversary is in May.) My favorite part of working at =PR= is the amazing colleagues that have become my friends.  I have stayed in touch with many people who I used to work with including people who moved to the other side of the country.  Over the years, I have enjoyed running races, being on trivia teams, traveling, checking out local restaurants/breweries, and going to sporting events with my colleagues.  I cherish all the wonderful memories I have, and I look forward to many more!  

My favorite running/racing memory is representing =PR= in a Nike documentary called "Nike Project 101" honoring Kepchoge's marathon record.  I ran a Ragnar style race from Philadelphia to Manhattan with two other =PR= employees and employees from other companies from all over the east coast.  We got to stay in a 5 star hotel, ride in upscale vans, and run in brand new Nike gear.  They filmed us running and interviewed me multiple times throughout the documentary.  It was an honor to represent =PR= and I will never forget it!  For those of you who are interested, you can find the documentary in a Google search :)

After earning my Ph.D. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology and working as a consultant, I decided my first career wasn't a good fit.  I volunteered for the Boys and Girls Club in college and missed working with kids, so I decided to become a PE teacher.  In my career as a teacher, I have been given many wonderful opportunities to work with students on sports skills, nutrition, biomechanics, conflict management, and writing SMART goals. I have also sponsored the Student Council Association (SCA), Math Club, and Girls on the Run.  In addition to my students, I also work with my colleagues to write new curriculum/lessons for the county, coach new PE teachers, and present new lessons at conferences.  I recently earned my certification in administration and hope to seek new leadership opportunities in the coming years.  

I would like to run at least 1-2 new races.  If anyone is interested in joining me, please let me know.  

I have a third job as an adjunct faculty for the University of Arkansas Online Walton School of Business.  I love working with college students, and I have considered pursuing full-time work as a college instructor on many occasions.