Personal History

I am the Brady Presidential Distinguished Professor in the Department of Political Science and Philosophy at Weber State University. Our department is part of the College of Social Sciences and Education. I was recognized as the Endowed Professor for the College from 2017-2020. My primary research interests are in American politics: the presidency, Congress, elections and youth and politics. I teach courses on all aspects of American politics, especially the national institutions. 

I am the Director of the Olene S. Walker Institute of Politics & Public Service. In this role, I manage our nationally recognized voter engagement campaign, Weber State Votes; our campus's Constructive Dialogue efforts; and civics programming that seeks to foster civic knowledge, civic skills, and civic dispositions among our Northern Utah citizenry.

I received a Bachelor of Arts in political science and in newspaper journalism from Syracuse University in 1996. I received a Doctor of Philosophy in political science from the University of Albany in 2004.