I am a human geographer working to understand the interactions between natural resource use and the social and economic well being of rural communities. My primary research interest is in rural institutions and their evolution. In my research approach, I prioritize collaborative and constructive projects as well as graduate training. I am a faculty member in Montana State University's Earth Science Department where I hold a joint appointment with the Montana Institute on Ecosystems.
Geographically, I have expertise in the U.S. West, including the Intermountain West and Northern Great Plains, and New Zealand.
Prior to joining the Earth Sciences Department in the fall of 2013, I worked for five years as a policy analyst for the regional non-profit research group Headwaters Economics.
A native of Boston, MA, I am a graduate of Colorado College. I hold a PhD in History from the University of Colorado-Boulder and was a post-doctoral fellow at the Centre for the Study of Agriculture, Food and Environment at the University of Otago (New Zealand) from 2005-2007.
Links here to formal biography and headshot.
