About me
I am a joint Political Science and Public Policy PhD candidate and Rackham Merit Fellow at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. My primary substantive areas of interest are broadly related to American legislative institutions, and slightly more particularly, political trust and ideological measurement. I currently serve as a graduate student instructor for PolSci 111: Introduction to American Government. I was Graduate Association of Political Scientists (GAPS) co-President at the University of Michigan (2023-2024). I have also occasionally offered government affairs consulting services.
In 2022, I completed my Master of Public Policy degree at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor with a concentration in analysis methods. I served as Editor in Chief for the Michigan Journal of Public Affairs and as a Graduate Student Instructor for PubPol 201: Systematic Thinking. As a student at Michigan, I worked as a Policy Analyst for the Fiscal Health Project at the Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy, as a summer intern with CARE, and on a project through the Program in Practical Policy Engagement for the City of Detroit. I also served as Visiting Editor for the 32nd edition (2021) of the Princeton Journal of Public and International Affairs.
Before my return to academic life, I served as a Policy Specialist with the National Conference of State Legislatures, Center for Ethics in Government and Center for Legislative Strengthening. My research encompassed matters relating to the legislative institutions of all U.S. states and territories. Under Ethics, subject areas included conflicts of interest, financial disclosures, lobbyist regulation, and ethics oversight. My work related to the legislative institution included a wide range of subtopics, including separation of powers, legislative procedure, legislative HR policies, and issues relating to the First Amendment. I provided non-partisan trainings, testimony, or technical assistance upon the request of NCSL constituents—state legislators or legislative staff (see photo, above).
My work often crossed disciplinary lines, driven by the needs of public officials, state employees, industry contacts, academics, journalists, and the public. I regularly coordinated with NCSL’s Elections and Redistricting team, as well as tackled questions related to sexual harassment and civility. A range of legal issues intersect with ethics, including privacy, speech, and due process. Research in moral philosophy and psychology were regularly incorporated into my publications. I administered Westlaw account access, as well as managed Continuing Legal Education (CLE) course compliance and accreditation for NCSL’s annual conference that hosted thousands of state government professionals.
Prior to my time at NCSL, I served as Faculty Services Senior Researcher at the University of Kansas School of Law. I taught courses on legal research and appellate advocacy while providing research assistance to faculty and university administration. Research areas included environmental law, international law, academic admissions policy, transactional law, business organizations, campus assault, diverse student success initiatives, legal pedagogy, criminal law, and more.
I received a Masters in Public Policy from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor with a concentration in analysis methods (2022), a Juris Doctor with an advocacy certificate from the University of Kansas (2015), and a B.A. in Political Science from Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas (2012).
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