ABOUT ME

• History

• Little trivia

I am a patriotic Payson resident. We moved to the new Arrowhead neighborhood four years ago and we love Payson, especially our girls in the city soccer league, the library, and Payson’s businesses.

My parents met in the Air Force in Montana, where I was born. My dad graduated from the Air Force Academy and my mom from the University of Virginia and the Air Force Officer Training School. The heritage that shaped my love of country, of freedom, and of community comes from my dad’s Mormon pioneer ancestors and my mom’s Founding Fathers ancestors. I lived in Nebraska and Alabama before moving to Indiana where both parents had left the Air Force and mental health issues divided my family. I grew up mostly with just my mom and four younger brothers. We never lived near our family members and were far from our Mountain West connections. But, we were deep in the sights and memorials of the heritage of my mom’s side of the family: the World War veterans, the Civil War veterans, and my grandpa’s family, who worked as an inventor and engineer for NASA during the space shuttle era. Many moving childhood memories came from visits to Washington DC monuments and the Chesapeake Bay.

Before I graduated high school, we moved to Maryland where my mom again worked for the Department of Defense. I took internships with various defense-related organizations before leaving for two years as an LDS missionary in Salt Lake City, where I was assigned to Spanish-speaking congregations and young single adult congregations.

I then entered Brigham Young University where I briefly investigated majors in Economics, Computer Engineering, and Mathematics, while considering law school. In the end, I graduated with a B.S. in Computer Science and took a job back in Maryland at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory—a not-for-profit organization that provides critical research and support to the military and government. I graduated with an M.S. in Computer Science from Johns Hopkins University.

My wife, Carolina, was born in Bolivia and raised in the Netherlands. She moved to Utah as a foreign exchange student and graduated from LDS Business College (A.A.), Brigham Young University (B.A.), and Western Governors University (M.B.A.). She was an LDS missionary at Temple Square. Her career is in languages, translation, government embassies, medical care, and now in hospital administration. We have three daughters. As we reach our 11th anniversary, we have bonded deeply over our children, over our experiences with moving and living around the world, and over the difficult experiences of life like the passing of my father and one of my brothers. More than four years ago, we returned to Utah, the place of our missionary service and undergraduate years, and we are happy Payson is our family’s home.

I have recently worked as a software engineer at Qualtrics, as a software engineer and team lead for Arctech Charge, and as a self-employed expert witness and software consultant. I have lent expertise to many of the biggest tech companies in the world for intellectual property litigation.

We have been involved in our community and I have connected with local government and politics leaders and organizations. I have participated in the LDS Democracy Network, Better Boundaries, Rank the Vote, and local caucuses. I have assisted local candidates, attended local town halls, and participated in events for multiples political parties, especially with our State Representative Doug Welton.

I would be a great city council member because I am exceptional at setting goals, making plans, and following through, and I am self-motivated to empower others.

Please consider me for your vote for Payson City Council, and reach out if you would like to connect or know more (JosephHansenUtah@gmail.com, 202-656-7646).