I was born in 1973 and spent the first twenty-three years of my life in Southern California, most of that time in Huntington Beach (located about 45 miles South of Los Angeles).

(The Huntington Beach Pier, with Ruby's Diner at the end -- no that's not me with the surfboard)

(Royce Hall, UCLA)

For college I attended the University of California, Los Angeles, where I received Bachelor of Arts Degrees in both Political Science (concentrating on International Relations) and History (emphasizing Latin America) in 1996. While at UCLA, I also coached the 10th grade basketball team at my former high school.

After graduating from UCLA, I moved to Washington, D.C. to attend the Elliott School of International Affairs at the George Washington University. My primary focus was on U.S. Defense Policy, but I also studied Political Violence and Terrorism as well as Science, Technology, and Public Policy. While in D.C., I worked as a Management Analyst for what used to be called the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service. I graduated from the Elliott School's program with a Master of Arts Degree in Security Policy Studies.

(Derby Hall, OSU)

I then moved to Columbus, Ohio, to pursue my Ph.D. in the Political Science Department at the Ohio State University. I completed my candidacy exams and received my Master of Arts Degree in Political Science in 2000. While at Ohio State, I taught my own sections of International Relations Theory, Political Violence/Terrorism, US Foreign Policy, and International Political Economy. I was also an adjunct professor in the Social and Behavioral Sciences Department at Columbus State Community College, where I taught Social Problems, Introduction to Politics, and an on-line course in American Government.

From 2004-2006, I was a Visiting Assistant Professor in the Government Department at the College of William & Mary, in Williamsburg, VA, where I taught courses that included: Introduction to International Relations; International Security; Terrorism and Political Violence; and US Foreign Policy.

(Bizzell Library at the University of Oklahoma)

From Fall 2006 to Spring 2011, I was an Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of Oklahoma. At the undergraduate level, I taught Relations among Nations, Terrorism, the History of Terrorism, Causes of War, and US Foreign Policy since WWII. At the graduate level, I taught International Relations Theory, International Security, and Terrorism.

I am currently a Lecturer in the Political Science Department at Oklahoma State University. In Fall 2011, I taught two sections of American Government. I am currently (Spring 2012) teaching Introduction to World Politics and War and World Politics at the undergraduate level, and Understanding and Responding to Terrorism at the graduate level.

(Murray Hall at Oklahoma State University)