I am a Ph.D. candidate in Political Science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. My work focuses on American politics, specifically political psychology, public opinion, voting, and elections. I am also interested in campaign advertising, race, and the politics of the American South.

My dissertation examines the role of emotion in rational democratic citizenship. Using survey and experimental methods, it deals with the psychological processes that elicit emotion in reaction to political stimuli, and the effects of those processes on learning, attitude formation, and electoral behavior. My defense is scheduled for Spring 2010. I have also completed the Certificate Program in Survey Methodology at the UNC Odum Institute for Research in Social Science.

I was born and raised in Virginia Beach, VA. I attended the College of William & Mary for my undergraduate degree. After college I joined Teach for America, teaching fifth grade to predominantly special education students in Atlanta Public Schools.