MISSION AND VALUES
From Travis: “Growing up in Little Compton like my great-great-grandparents did is a point of pride for me. This town is safe, honest, and provided my childhood with plenty of time out in the natural world to use my imagination for learning and growing as an individual. I aim to keep it this way for my daughter and her peers.
Open space is no longer commonplace in the education system. However, life in Little Compton is a sliver of how it used to be. I plan on using that to our children’s advantage if elected.
Integrating whole foods from Little Compton’s farms, outdoor classes and play, and mindful time on screens will help the Little Compton School District set the bar for public schooling in Rhode Island, and there’s science that says so.”
Read more about these initiatives in the sections below.
More About Travis
First and foremost, Travis is a father and believes that he has a responsibility and opportunity to raise the bar not only for his daughter’s education, but all children attending Wilbur & McMahon Schools.
He is a longstanding local business owner, operating the creative marketing studio Empowers Media in the Commons with his wife Samantha. In 2025, they will celebrate their 10th year of business. Before that, he worked for the Town of Little Compton for almost 20 years as a lifeguard at South Shore Beach.
More recently, Travis became a children’s book author with the publishing of Homecoming, the first book in an educational series titled Sustainable Surfers, that teaches children of all ages the importance of cleaning up after themselves and others to sustain the health of our oceans.
Because of these endeavors, Travis is an outspoken member of and contributor to the Little Compton community. He advocates for preserving Little Compton’s values while not being afraid of progressive change at Town Council meetings and social events.
Why an Independent?
Travis’ friends (and Mother) will tell you that he’s always had an independent streak. While he is a free spirit that loves to host parties, he believes that the current political party system is too binary.
Our current national political climate is fueled by media that is crafted to be divisive. Extremism on both sides is getting in the way of maintaining focus on the creation of policies and infrastructure that have been proven to have a measurable impact on learning.
Travis aims to level the field and provide the third primary color to complete the spectrum.
GOALS
mindful screen use
As the founder of a technology based business that uses social media and the digital world to sell products and send messages, Travis know better than anyone the negative impacts these profit driven platforms can have on a developing mind.
As children get older, they can learn meaningful information from screens, but the ubiquity of digital devices also means that children can easily spend too much time being sedentary.
Outdoor Learning
Travis believes in letting nature teach. The sun teaches how to tell which direction we are headed. Rain teaches the importance of shelter. The wind let’s us know when it’s time to check the surf, and cold air teaches us the importance of fire and warm clothes.
Adaptation to the outdoors keeps children entertained and curious about their world. Building character rarely occurs in a comfortable environment.
Quality Food
It’s no secret that proper learning is fundamentally relative to nutrition and diet.
A farm community that is capable of putting meat, grain, and produce on its schoolchildren’s table, does not. Why?
Follow the links provided below to existing Rhode Island Farm to School Initiatives that Little Compton should be implementing.