Welcome! I am an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Whittier College in Whittier, CA. My research and teaching interests focus on women and politics. I am currently working on a book manuscript that examines the policy objectives of and congressional motivations behind women's rights in US foreign policy. I received my PhD in Political Science at Rutgers University- New Brunswick in October 2014. I earned a Master's in Women's and Gender Studies at the University of the Western Cape, Bellville, South Africa and an International Gender Studies Certificate from Utrecht University in The Netherlands. I have advanced training in quantitative, qualitative, and feminist research methods.  Prior to Whittier, I taught political science and gender studies courses at Brooklyn College, CUNY; Barnard College, Columbia University; and Rutgers University, New Brunswick. I also spent one year living in Ljubljana, Slovenia teaching English. Before graduate school, I worked on federal election campaigns in the US in Indiana (2002) and Oregon (2004). Originally from Madison, WI, I currently reside in Long Beach, CA, where I enjoy playing beach volleyball, learning the nuances of California food culture, and creating my own definition of seasons.

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