About Me
I am an associate professor in the School of Public Policy and Leadership at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. My research focuses on local public finance, urban sustainability, county government administration, state and local relations, and interlocal collaboration. My research agenda approaches questions surrounding the fiscal, institutional, and political drivers behind local government policy making. I investigate these questions to understand how and why the actors that run our governing organizations approach their decisions that impact our daily lives as citizens. I use my work to teach about the value of evidence-based policy making.
I served as the graduate programs coordinator for the School of Public Policy and Leadership for over three years. During this time, I had the privilege of leading our Master of Public Administration program through the process of retaining its accreditation status. I currently serve as the PhD programs coordinator for our PhD in Public Affairs program.
I earned a B.S. in political science from Florida A&M University, and both a MPA and a PhD in public administration from Florida State University. I'm a diehard Rattlers and Seminoles fan! Occasionally, my X(Twitter) profile pic is an image of Coach Rudy Hubbard (Florida A&M football from 1974-1985). He led Florida A&M University to become the first and only Historically Black University to every win a NCAA Division 1-AA national championship in football.
Prior to becoming a social scientist, I gained over a decade of experience in local fiscal administration. This practical experience is what led to my interests in local government decision making and it currently fuels both my research and teaching.
My research has appeared in several journals and book chapters. A selection of publications and working papers are available on this website. Please free to see my full curriculum vitae for more detail.
I served as the graduate programs coordinator for the School of Public Policy and Leadership for over three years. During this time, I had the privilege of leading our Master of Public Administration program through the process of retaining its accreditation status. I currently serve as the PhD programs coordinator for our PhD in Public Affairs program.
I earned a B.S. in political science from Florida A&M University, and both a MPA and a PhD in public administration from Florida State University. I'm a diehard Rattlers and Seminoles fan! Occasionally, my X(Twitter) profile pic is an image of Coach Rudy Hubbard (Florida A&M football from 1974-1985). He led Florida A&M University to become the first and only Historically Black University to every win a NCAA Division 1-AA national championship in football.
Prior to becoming a social scientist, I gained over a decade of experience in local fiscal administration. This practical experience is what led to my interests in local government decision making and it currently fuels both my research and teaching.
My research has appeared in several journals and book chapters. A selection of publications and working papers are available on this website. Please free to see my full curriculum vitae for more detail.