Meet Josh Marx Dyer
No one is disposable.
Service, stewardship, science, and family have shaped how I understand public responsibility.
I grew up in the Permian Basin, where oilfield work shaped the economy and nearly every political conversation. Working in that world taught me the dignity of hard work and how strongly families feel decisions made far from their communities.
Serving aboard U.S. Navy submarines taught me that everyone’s safety depends on every person doing their job, telling the truth, and looking out for the crew. No one is disposable, and failure is never simply somebody else’s problem.
Working around maintenance, quality assurance, and the military supply system also taught me why rigorous technical standards matter and why public procurement deserves equally rigorous oversight. That experience is one reason I am interested in readiness, contractor accountability, technical-data rights, and when the government should be able to manufacture critical parts itself. Read the developing defense procurement policy →
After leaving the Navy, during the COVID-19 pandemic, I lived in San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas, while traveling through Mexico. At Parque Encuentro and with Pies de la Tierra and Amor y Rescate de las Abejas, I worked alongside local and Indigenous communities on regenerative agriculture, permaculture, pollinator rescue, mycoremediation, mushroom cultivation, and practical water and waste systems. I helped rescue and relocate roughly 25 bee colonies, built hives, irrigation and cistern systems, and learned firsthand how land, water, food, waste, fungi, pollinators, and community fit together as one system. See the conservation work → Read the full field note →
My work in botany and scientific research taught me to question assumptions, follow evidence, and understand that healthy systems depend on relationships. As a husband and father raising three children near Eugene, I see policy in the realities families face: housing, schools, healthcare, food costs, veterans’ benefits, clean air and water, and whether people have enough security and time to build a good life.
I am exploring a run for Congress because public institutions should be judged by a practical standard: Do they work? Do they protect people? Do they leave the whole community stronger?
Family roots · Hobbs, New Mexico
The people who raised me.
Harold Marx Dyer & Deanna Walton Dyer
My grandparents Harold and Deanna raised me in Hobbs. Deanna was a school secretary, entrepreneur, outspoken community leader, and a person who gave neighbors from different backgrounds opportunities. Harold, a boxer who grew up with little, worked hard and supported her as the matriarch of our family.
I was named Joshua Marx Dyer. My grandfather was Harold Marx Dyer, but he went by Marx. This name is part of a multigenerational family history. It does not by itself establish the political beliefs of my ancestors or imply any organization’s endorsement of my exploratory effort.
In 2008 I cast my first presidential vote alongside Deanna. Their example of strength, partnership, and responsibility remains part of my story.
The path here
Work. Service. Stewardship. Science. Family.
Different chapters, connected by the same habit: learn the system, do the work, and look out for the people beside you.
- 01Permian Basin
Working-class communities and an economy shaped by oilfield work.
- 02U.S. Navy submarines
Teamwork, technical responsibility, truth-telling, and shared safety.
- 03Conservation in Mexico
During the pandemic in Chiapas: pollinator rescue, regenerative agriculture, permaculture, mycoremediation, and water systems.
- 04Oregon State University
Botany, scientific training, and evidence-based problem solving.
- 05Scientific research
Botany, plant pathology, mycology, and systems thinking.
- 06Family & public service
Raising three children near Eugene while listening to how policy affects everyday life.
Conservation in Mexico · During the pandemic
Between the Navy and Oregon State, I worked on conservation in Mexico.
Based in San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas, and traveling through Mexico, I worked at Parque Encuentro and with Pies de la Tierra and Amor y Rescate de las Abejas on hands-on conservation, regenerative agriculture, pollinator rescue, fungi, and practical water and waste systems.
A clear line
Some rights are not negotiable.
I support women’s bodily autonomy, reproductive freedom, equal citizenship, and the right to live free from violence and coercion. I support strong survivor protections and serious prosecution of sexual assault, domestic violence, stalking, trafficking, reproductive coercion, and abuse.
Due process matters. So does accountability. When guilt is proven, the law should be enforced fully, and the most serious offenses should be eligible for the highest penalties authorized by law.
Continue exploring
