I joined the faculty at UK in 2014 from the Department of Sociology and Fairhaven College of Interdisciplinary Studies at Western Washington University. Prior to my doctoral studies at UW-Madison I spent three years as a research analyst in Seattle, WA working in the areas of education, labor, and environmental policy.

My work is focused on understanding (1.) the forms and consequences of social inequality that emerge through students’ educational trajectories, and (2.) examining the extent to which education policy and reform movements transform or reproduce inequities in these trajectories. In my current work I am exploring these areas of inquiry through three active projects. The first is an investigation of the changing economic and cultural dynamics in intergenerational patterns of education attainment over the past century. In the second project I am analyzing the intersecting social, cultural, and curricular contexts that differentially shape undergraduate attainment patterns. Finally, I am using social network analysis to examine the impact that policy networks are having on contemporary education policy and reform movements.

A subtext running throughout my work is a strong interest in building upon the fields of relational sociology and organizational theory to develop theoretical and methodological tools that integrate structural and phenomenological analysis. Toward this end my work frequently draws upon interdisciplinary perspectives in field theory and relational methodologies such as social network analysis and related techniques.

My teaching commitments include the following graduate courses: Sociology of Education (EPE/SOC 661), Social Policy Issues & Education (EPE 602), Survey Research Methods (EPE 619), Social Network Analysis and Education (EPE 711), and a Seminar in Educational Policy Studies (EPE 773). I also teach an undergraduate UK Core course, Education in American Culture (EPE 301).

See my personal website for more information about publications, courses, and projects.