I am a research scientist and educator. I have a PhD in Urban and Environmental Planning and Policy (University of California, Irvine) and a Master's in Social Work with an emphasis in Community Organizing (University of Pittsburgh). I presently hold a position as an Assistant Professor at California State University Northridge. My research interests include inclusion, exclusion, nonprofits, and vulnerable populations. I primarily examine how institutions and individuals and shape the inclusion and exclusion of social groups in society. I have over ten years of macro-level social work experience that includes program development and evaluation, community organizing and engagement, and art-based practice. In my free time, I host a podcast called FAB: Untold Stories, a podcast that combines research, storytelling, and expert interviews to shed light on foster, adoption and related sociological phenomena.
