Who would have predicted that Wesley Chesbro's stint in Humboldt State's student government would prove the beginning of a career in public service that would span over 37 years and include two terms in the California State Senate? Actually, if you knew Chesbro in those early days, you probably wouldn't have been surprised one bit. After all, he was elected to the Arcata City Council at the tender age of 22.

Chesbro served on both the city council and the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors. During that time he helped to found both the Arcata Community Recycling Center and the Northcoast Environmental Center, serving as the first Executive Director of both organizations.

In 1990 Chesbro became a founding member of California's Integrated Waste Management Board, where he successfully helped guide California to a 50 percent reduction in waste going to landfills through recycling and waste reduction programs.

As a state Senator Chesbro achieved the Chairmanship of the Senate Budget Committee, where he was a champion for higher education, K-12 education, environmental protection, local government and rural health care.

Upon leaving the State Senate last year due to term limits, Chesbro was re-appointed to the Integrated Waste Management Board and is now working to push waste reduction beyond 50 percent and focusing on reducing the contribution waste management makes to global warming.

What inspired Chesbro to devote so much of his life to serving the public? "I was raised in a family where I was taught that your actions speak louder than your words," the former senator explains. "My father was a minister and my mother was a school teacher and they spent their lives serving others. It was their example that led me to a life of public service."

Wesley Chesbro and his wife Cindy have two sons, Alan and Collin. Chesbro is very proud that his son Alan is currently a junior at Humboldt State University, majoring in political science.