About Me

I grew up in Madison, Wisconsin, where I attended the University of Wisconsin and received my Bachelor's degree in secondary education in 2005. My goal at the time was to be a high school social studies teacher. However, rather than wait for a teaching position to open, I opted to leave for Oregon, and took a position as an AmeriCorps*VISTA at the Phoenix School of Roseburg. There I served as the Transitions Coordinator, akin to a guidance counselor, aiding and assisting students on their post-secondary plans.

Looking for experience in community development, I moved to upstate New York in the summer of 2007, to work as a community organizer for the Binghamton Neighborhood Assemblies Project. The goal of the project was to bring democracy closer to residents who were traditionally unlikely to participate.

I then returned to education-related work later in 2007 as the program manager for Youth Engagement Services, an after-school program for low-income families through Catholic Charities of Tompkins/Tioga. I continued this work until fall 2009, when I began my Master of Social Work training at the University of Michigan. I chose to major in social policy and evaluation, with a concentration on children, youth, and families.

My field experience at the Technical Assistance Center of the University of Michigan Detroit Center exposed me to many wonderful people and programs in Detroit. That summer, I began work as the project manager of the Detroit Summer Youth Employment Program, which I have stayed attached to in some capacity since 2010. I then worked in the Poverty Policy Center of the state of Michigan Department of Human Services in Lansing.

Upon completion of my MSW in 2011, I worked for Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago. My experience at Chapin Hall introduced me to important data management and project management skills I continue to use.

In the fall of 2012 I began my Ph.D. in social work and political science at the University of Michigan. As a graduate student I have been involved in numerous projects that have advanced my research experience and skill set. I have also taught classes in both social work and political science. In the fall of 2015 I began work on the Candidate & Delegate Project, and in 2017 I started the Michigan Law and Social Work Study. You can read more about each of these projects elsewhere on my website.