I am a political scientist and a 2011 graduate of Harvard's Ph.D. program in public policy. My overarching research agenda uses quantitative and qualitative methods to investigate how and when individuals and communities engage civically and politically to address critical societal problems.

My dissertation (and resulting book project) - at the intersection of racial and ethnic politics, political behavior, urban politics, and social policy - focuses on local government responses to immigrant populations and how they shape immigrant political incorporation, particularly in destinations beyond traditional gateways. I received my B.A.. from Williams College in Political Science and Russian. From 1998-2001, I worked for the Eurasia Foundation in Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia, ultimately as Associate Country Director for the Foundation's Tbilisi, Georgia office. After completing a Masters in Public Policy at Harvard's Kennedy School, from 2003-2005, I served as a Research Associate and then as Associate Director of the Saguaro Seminar for Civic Engagement.

For research support, I am grateful to the Zeit Foundation's Bucerius Scholarship in Migration Studies, and Harvard University's Center for American Political Studies, Hauser Center for Non-Profit Organizations, Saguaro Seminar for Civic Engagement, and Taubman Center for State and Local Government.