I am a social scientist, trained social worker, and advocate. 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 expertise is nonprofits, immigration, citizenship, vulnerable populations, inclusion, exclusion, and urban inequality. I conduct qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods research, specializing in measurement, psychometrics, surveys, and theory development and testing. My overarching research agenda is to understand the role of (non)governmental entities in contributing to the inclusion and exclusion of social groups, which led me to develop the social science theory of citizenry exclusion explicating processes of exclusion. Populations I've studied and worked with include immigrants, refugees, and individuals with experiences of foster care, adoption, and youth homelessness. As an educator, I empower my students through critical anti-oppression pedagogy, teaching classes such as research and policy.
I also have 10 years of professional social work experience, working in a range of areas including nonprofit management, stake holder engagement, children and youth development, art-based program development, and program evaluation. For five years, I worked at a national civil rights organization where I developed and managed a mentoring program for African American students in Pittsburgh Public Schools that aimed to promote academic equity in the city. I also founded and led an art initiative called Yemaya Productions, engaging communities in the US and abroad in art-based programs and interventions to promote social and cultural awareness and inclusion. I perform research and educational consulting via ZSM Research and Education and I am the host of FAB Untold Stories podcast, a podcast that combines research and personal narratives to shed like on the reality of foster care, adoption and related sociological phenomena.
My research expertise is nonprofits, immigration, citizenship, vulnerable populations, inclusion, exclusion, and urban inequality. I conduct qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods research, specializing in measurement, psychometrics, surveys, and theory development and testing. My overarching research agenda is to understand the role of (non)governmental entities in contributing to the inclusion and exclusion of social groups, which led me to develop the social science theory of citizenry exclusion explicating processes of exclusion. Populations I've studied and worked with include immigrants, refugees, and individuals with experiences of foster care, adoption, and youth homelessness. As an educator, I empower my students through critical anti-oppression pedagogy, teaching classes such as research and policy.
I also have 10 years of professional social work experience, working in a range of areas including nonprofit management, stake holder engagement, children and youth development, art-based program development, and program evaluation. For five years, I worked at a national civil rights organization where I developed and managed a mentoring program for African American students in Pittsburgh Public Schools that aimed to promote academic equity in the city. I also founded and led an art initiative called Yemaya Productions, engaging communities in the US and abroad in art-based programs and interventions to promote social and cultural awareness and inclusion. I perform research and educational consulting via ZSM Research and Education and I am the host of FAB Untold Stories podcast, a podcast that combines research and personal narratives to shed like on the reality of foster care, adoption and related sociological phenomena.
