I am an associate professor of American Politics in the Department of Political Science. Prior to joining the Kentucky faculty, I was an associate professor in the Department of Political Science and Director of the Master of Public Administration Program at Auburn University.  After completing my Ph.D. I worked as a Voting Rights Researcher at the Brennan Center for Justice at the New York University School of Law. While completing my graduate studies at Kent State University, I coordinated the Ronald E. McNair Post Baccalaureate Achievement program, a federal TRiO program that aims to increase the number of low-income, first-generation, and underrepresented college students who pursue doctoral degrees.

My research focuses on election administration, public policy, citizen voting experiences, and representation. Current overarching themes in my scholarship include the administrative structure of felony disenfranchisement and its effect on participation and representation, citizen confidence in electoral outcomes, and the consequences of administrative discretion on voter experiences and democratic representation. I also work on interdisciplinary projects that apply systems and architectural engineering approaches to the field of election administration to address challenges associated with administrative decision-making and voter experiences.

I have received external support for my election research from the National Science Foundation, Rockefeller Family Fund, Democracy Fund, and others. I hold positions in several election administration applied and research-focused projects and initiatives. I am currently on the Electoral Integrity Project International Academic Advisory Board, a track leader with the Election and Voting Information Center (EVIC), a Research Partner with the Democracy, Power, and Innovation Fund, and a Research Partner with the University of Rhode Island Voter Operations and Election Systems (URIVOTES).

Lastly, I regularly contribute to the broader elections community by speaking on domestic and international academic and practitioner panels on issues related to election administration and participate in domestic and international election observation efforts.