I am an executive leader, strategist, and consultant dedicated to solving systemic challenges at the intersection of media, politics, and power. Currently serving as the 1855 Chair of Community and Urban Journalism at Michigan State University, my work bridges the gap between rigorous institutional analysis and actionable, community-driven impact.

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My work exists within three distinct and strategic pillars:

• Meticulous Qualitative and Quantitative Research Execution: Directing comprehensive and rigorous research efforts that maps community behaviors and needs, audits of media ecosystems, and provide rich context for understanding the nuance and details that individualize communities  

• Intervention Design & Pilot Programs: Designing, testing, and scaling solutions that repair media harm and re-engage justifiably distrustful audiences.

• Community-Driven Partnerships: Building capacity and fulfilling resource needs through initiatives guided directly by community stakeholders.

 

As the Founding Director of the LIFT Project, I lead an incredible team dedicated to mapping information ecosystems and understanding the vital role of trusted messengers in promoting healthy, engaged communities. I have extensive experience translating complex data into strategic interventions, and I have provided public thought leadership and private consulting to numerous organizations seeking to turn insights into action.

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I firmly believe that strategic communication must meet people where they are. This commitment to accessible impact drives my multimedia initiatives, including hosting the Food & Thought cooking show, data-driven journalistic work , and a podcast centering news and motherhood. Recognizing that food is a powerful medium for community building and political discourse, my current and future initiatives—such as an upcoming NOM food forum—explore the vital intersections of culinary culture, media, and social equity.

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My work in community-engaged strategy and intervention has been recognized internationally, including recent awards from the American Political Science Association (2024) and the International Communication Association (2024, 2022). Prior to my career in academic leadership, I built a foundational expertise in strategic communications, working as a multimedia creator, local journalist, and public relations professional in the non-profit health and education sectors. I hold a doctorate from the University of Texas at Austin, as well as bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Baylor University.

 

Perhaps most importantly, I am the director of chaos for three extraordinary children and the wife to a creative genius who doubles as my collaborative partner on many community-engaged projects. As a displaced Texan, I spend my free time in Michigan complaining about the winter weather, dreaming of the ocean, and aspiring to one day have a thumb green enough to stop mysteriously killing my air plants.