Office Hours
Office hours by appointment, email to confirm a time
Biography
I am originally from Kansas City, Missouri and graduated with a BA from Rockhurst University. During my graduate training at the nearby University of Kansas I was hired to teach at Rockhurst as an adjunct, then as a full-time non-tenure track professor, and then as a tenure track professor. While doubtlessly slowing down my dissertation writing, I found my passion teaching at a liberal arts university. To further my education in public policy and the law, and just short of a decade at Rockhurst, I departed to earn a JD from Gonzaga. After working as a legislative policy analyst, federal law clerk, and an attorney in private practice I returned to teaching part-time at Gonzaga. I suppose rather predictably, I missed the classroom too much to stay away longer, happily accepting my current position at Loyola University Maryland, my third Jesuit institution.
Education
- J.D. 2016 Gonzaga University
- PhD 2010 University of Kansas, Political Science
- BA 1998 Rockhurst University, Political Science and Philosophy
Teaching and Scholarship
My scholarship occurs at the intersection of politics and law. My dissertation focused on the criminal justice policies of capital punishment, police traffic stops, and private prisons. Currently my interests include the criminalization of poverty, immigration courts, and transparency in the antiquities trade. Each year I teach a sequence of Con Law I and II. To better prepare students for the law school environment I use the case method and test with hypothetical fact patterns. I also teach judicial politics, mock trial, and public policy. and offer an introductory section in American politics each semester. My course list includes:
- PS102 American Politics
- PS322 Mock Trial
- PS325 Introduction to Public Policy
- PS340 Politics of the Judicial Process
- PS338 Con Law: Federalism and Separation of Powers
- PS339 Con Law: Individual Liberties
Faculty Appointment
- Visiting Assistant Professor of Political Science 2020-present
- Pre-Law Advisor 2020-present