About Me

I currently serve as Associate Professor of Political Science and the Director of Graduate Studies at the University of Nevada, Reno. I am also affiliated faculty with the University of Nevada's Gender, Race and Identity Program. Previously, I served as the Associate Director of the Institute of Global Cultural Studies, Research Assistant Professor of Political Science, and as a Fellow in the Center on Democratic Performance at the State University of New York, Binghamton. I also currently serve as series co-editor of the Ashgate book series Global Health and previously have served as a consultant for the Educational Testing Service, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), Commission on HIV/AIDS and Governance in Africa (CHGA). In the past, I have had the pleasure to work with other groups such as the Council on Foreign Relations, UNAIDS, as well as various academic institutions. Additionally, my research has been funded by such organizations as the National Science Foundation and the Carnegie Corporation.

After completing my PhD, I accepted a postdoctoral fellowship with the Institute of Global Cultural Studies, under the directorship of world-renowned Africanist Dr. Ali Mazrui. I later took up a research fellowship to continue my work on HIV/AIDS in Africa and served as the Associate Director of the Institute of Global Cultural Studies.

On a more personal level, I'm originally from the Boston area, more precisely a small city north of Boston called Revere. I completed my undergraduate education at the University of Massachusetts, Boston with degrees in Political Science and Economics. I completed my MA (1996) and PhD. (1999) at the State University of New York, Binghamton's Department of Political Science under the guidance of an incredible friend and mentor, Dr. David Cingranelli.