Mike Nearman was raised in Oregon and holds degrees from Marquette University and Western Oregon University. He worked as a software engineer and in 2014 was elected to the Oregon House of Representatives, where he still serves. Despite being very busy and seriously overworked, he was unable to resist the offer to become the Oregon Director for the Freedom Foundation. He regards his work toward limited government as a calling. Mike lives with his wife Debby, two dogs, a handful of sheep, and a bunch of chickens on a single acre between West Salem and Independence, where he enjoys many of the freedoms guaranteed by the Bill of Rights. He has two wonderful, grown daughters.