Education
Rob grew-up in the Chicagoland area and attended public schools. He holds a B.S. in Engineering with minors in math and computer science from the University of Illinois where he was the Online Editor for the Daily Illini and active in the College Democrats and Illinois Student Government. He moved to Seattle in 2001 to work for Microsoft. Rob completed an evening graduate certificate program in User-Centered Design from the University of Washington in 2003.
Family
Rob met his future wife, Hillary Madsen, at a Young Democrats of Washington convention and they were married in Chelan, WA in 2008 and became parents a few years later. Hillary works as a Staff Attorney with Columbia Legal Services advocating for homeless and foster youth. She served two terms as Chair of the 43rd LD Democrats and volunteers with the Youth Suicide Prevention Program and Family Law CASA. Rob and Hillary live in Seattle and enjoy travel (especially their annual trip to Chelan, WA) and jogging with their black lab mix, Della.
Volunteer Involvement
In addition to his Democratic involvement, Rob worked as a classroom instructor at Franklin High School in Seattle’s Rainier Valley neighborhood through the TEALS program and currently volunteers with Seattle Social Venture Partners, the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle, and the Northwest Progressive Institute. He is also a member of the Transit Riders Union.