I am an Assistant Professor in the African American & African Studies Department and an Affiliated Faculty in Political Science at the University of Minnesota. I received my Ph.D. in Political Science from Indiana University and B.A. in Political Studies from Bard College. My research interests are in the areas of elite politics, authoritarian regimes, political institutions and social network analysis with a geographical focus on Africa.
Outside of research, I have had the privileged to teach at a diverse set of institutions including Indiana University, MIT, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, The Bard Prison Initiative and most recently the University of Minnesota. I am currently assisting with the larger efforts by Governor Waltz to institutionalize higher education across prisons in the state of Minnesota.
If I had to sum up what I strive for when teaching, I would say that I try to construct an environment that fosters Socratic Dialogue as displayed in Plato's writing, Euthyphro.
