In 2008 I left my hometown of oil-fueled Midland, Texas for New York City. I wanted to study physics but soon realized I’m more interested in people. Eventually, I found my way to urban planning, where there are still forces acting on the world, but many of these forces are human-made, such as structural racism, economic incentives, or political boundaries that shape our environment and our outcomes.

I consider myself a researcher and a teacher. I want to learn all I can about how the world works, while also taking the wonky policies, concepts, and analyses considered in decision-making and making them accessible to the communities those decisions ultimately impact.

After a decade in NYC, I returned to Texas in 2018. I am currently working at Every Texan, a nonprofit that advocates for social justice through state policy. I’m also working on a PhD program in Applied Demography at the University of Texas at San Antonio, where I teach occasional classes in the urban planning and public administration programs.

My other professional interests include innovative participatory planning, education tools/games, community economic development, and environmental justice. At other times I enjoy cooking, crafting, singing, and making a new home in San Antonio.

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