Biography Summary
Born: Seattle, WA, 15 August 1946. Skip has lived in Washington his entire life.
Raised: Spokane and South end of Seattle by a single mother
Education: Rainier Beach High School 1964, University of Washington B.S. Physics 1968, University of Washington Ph.D. Geophysics
Employment: Principal Physicist at the Applied Physics Laboratory and Research Professor in the Department of Earth and Space Sciences, at the University of Washington
Activities: Representing and supporting orphanages in Kenya, feeding program for street kids in Seattle, local neighborhood church
Biography Narrative
Skip Mercer is a Professor in the Department of Earth and Space Sciences, and a Principal Physicist at the Applied Physics Laboratory, at the University of Washington (UofW). His background is uniquely suited to intelligently address issues on the economy, national security, education, energy independence, and environmental policies. He believes our founding fathers wrote the constitution -- for the people – not to be rewritten by those claiming to represent the people.
His other priorities for Washington State: job creation, curbing tax growth, stopping wasteful government spending, improving the trade balance with Asia, retention of individual rights not entitlements, educational reform to help US students compete in a global economy.
His professional career is now focused on basic research related to ocean temperature and ocean disturbances using the techniques of sound transmission. His early professional career was directed toward US Navy applications in underwater sound, mostly related to submarine detection.
Skip is not a politician- but a concerned citizen willing to work for Washington. In his early years he identified closely with democrats Warren Magnusson and ‘Scoop’ Jackson. As the Democratic Party became more and more liberal he maintained his positions favoring a free economy, low taxes, a limited Federal Government, and a strong national defense. These positions are now considered conservative.
Skip and his first wife raised two children, Michael and Angela, who went through the public school system in Washington. Michael graduated from the University of Washington and Angela from Western University. After their graduations, he married Lisa Day in 2004, who has three adult sons, Robert, Adam, and Thomas.
Dr. James (Skip) Mercer, Ph.D. - is a Washington native and has lived his entire life in Washington State. He was born in Seattle, and then spent his early childhood years in Spokane. He was raised by his mother, Esther, in the south end of Seattle. She nicknamed him Skip at an early age. He graduated from Rainier Beach High School and worked at a Chevron station to put himself through the University of Washington receiving a B.S. in Physics. A few years later he completed his Ph.D. in Geophysics at the University of Washington.
The last few years Skip and Lisa have spent much of their free time (both have full-time jobs) volunteering with Christian Ministries in Africa, serving Kenyan orphans and helping to provide meals to starving children living in the slums of Kenya. The Mercers visited Kenya last year and plan to do so again this year leading a small team of volunteers. They also volunteer at New Horizon Ministries serving Seattle’s street youth population. Skip and Lisa attend Eastside Christian Fellowship Church.