I am a Professor of Geography in the Sociology Department at Manhattan College. My US-based research explores sustainable agriculture in the Hudson River Valley of New York. My research outside the US examines gender in agroecosystems of the Vietnamese Mekong River Delta. I also have remote sensing and geography projects in the US and abroad. My path to professorship was not direct, but long and winding.

My undergraduate studies at Tulane University spurred an interest in environmental justice issues, as I witnessed social inequity and environmental devastation throughout Louisiana and Mississippi. I completed a double major in three years, graduating cum laude and returning to the west coast to begin my ten year career in environmental consulting.

Professionally, I managed NEPA/CEQA document production and a variety of other environmental projects, culminating in a California-wide water quality project for PG&E. I conducted countless environmental awareness trainings and cross-trained in biology to further understand the nexus between policy and practice. I also authored proposals, helped guide company vision documents, and media relations pieces.

While working, I graduated with an M.S. in Environmental Management in 2009 from University of San Francisco. During my graduate studies, I focused on the science and mitigation of climate change, performing greenhouse gas inventories, resource management evaluations, and writing multi-faceted renewable energy policies. I also helped teach an Environmental Law and Policy course at San Francisco State University, which sparked my interest in teaching.

In 2010 I switched gears and became the Marketing and Development Manager at Andaman Discoveries, an ecotourism company in Phang Nga, Thailand. The experience was humbling and enriching, as I learned how powerful community networks and diversified incomes can be to bolster social resilience. It was also in Thailand that I discovered how climate change impacts are intensely gendered; and how livelihoods can empower social, ecological, and economic resilience.

Upon returning to the US, I taught high school biology and physics while I applied to PhD programs around the country. Teaching solidified my calling to educate the next generation of world citizens and to be on the cutting edge of research to help humanity survive climatic changes.

While earning my doctorate, I taught two of my own courses and was the teaching assistant for many courses in the Environmental Studies Department at University of California, Santa Cruz. I also conducted fieldwork in Cambodia and Vietnam, and was fortunate to secure extramural funding for a number of projects that I completed between 2012 and 2017.

After receiving my PhD in 2017, I worked as a Senior Environmental Planner at the Santa Clara Valley Water District, where I conducted environmental reviews for flood protection and conservation projects throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. The experience gave me an avenue to use my environmental policy and public outreach skills in a real-time planning setting.

At Manhattan College, I found an institution where I can use my skills as a researcher and educator to local use, teaching Geography courses and working with passionate students on my Hudson Valley research project.