born on January 3rd, 1971 in Offenbach am Main. After attending school in Offenbach, Sana’a (Yemen) and Frankfurt, he began studying political science in Frankfurt in 1992. While still being a student, he joined the Green Party in 1989 and was chairman of the Green Youth of Hesse from 1992 to 1994. In 1993 he became a member of the Offenbach City Council, and in 1995 he became a member of the Hessian State Parliament. From May 2000 he led the state parliamentary group of Bündnis 90/Die Grünen, and from September 2007 he also became head of the state party, Bündnis 90/Die Grünen Hessen. He resigned from both posts before being appointed Hesse’s Minister for Economic Affairs, Energy, Transport and Regional Development (since 2019: Housing) and Vice Minister President of Hesse on January 18, 2014.