My love of the study and practice of politics runs deep. I grew up in Washington, D.C., and before becoming an academic, I interned with the Energy and Commerce Committee subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations in the U.S. House of Representatives and in the office of the Committee Chair. I worked within agencies such as the U.S. Department of Justice (Antitrust Division) and with advocacy groups focused on environmental issues and women’s health. In Washington State, I worked as a labor organizer for academic employees, as staff on an initiative campaign, and as a paralegal for national firms.

Perhaps because of my varied interests, my training on political science is broad as well as deep. Some of my past projects include examining practices of incorporating diverse racial perspectives in a national women’s health organization, analyzing congressional discourse around AFDC recipients during periods of welfare reform, and identifying legislative processes in the U.S. House and Senate that do and do not incorporate deliberation. My current research focuses on citizen-based democratic deliberation processes and other forms of citizen engagement. I teach in all areas of American politics, including campaigns, elections, Congress, the Presidency, the courts, public policy, media and public opinion, political advocacy, and the politics of racial and gender inequality.

There is nothing like hands-on experience to learn if a career in politics is right for you, and I encourage any student who wants to pursue a career in American politics to intern. I serve as the Humboldt representative for the Sacramento semester and Capitol Fellows internships, and as a member of the Panetta internship review committee. In addition to an internship and other hands-on experiences, such as Moot Court and Model U.N., our students also benefit from joining a faculty research project, and I have worked with several undergraduates on such projects. The skills learned through these experiences have become invaluable to our graduates as they seek flourish in their careers.