About Me

I am an Associate Professor of Marine and Coastal Policy at Oregon State University; and Research Associate at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and Coiba Research Station - AIP in Panama. I have a Ph.D. in Environmental Studies from the University of California, Santa Cruz, an MA in Marine Affairs and Policy from the University of Miami, and a BA in International Economics from the University of Richmond. I have published widely on the socio-environmental outcomes of lifestyle migration to Panama; on the linkages between land use and policy, property rights, and development; and, more broadly, on the evolution of marine policy and conservation in Panama and the United States. I am also fascinated by interdisciplinarity and collaboration as an academic endeavor, where it no longer represents an abstract concept, but instead has become a critical framework for addressing global environmental threats. My current research includes the study of adaptive capacity to ocean acidification in shellfish farming and other resource-dependent communities in California and Oregon and science-policy engagement related to ocean acidification on the West Coast of the United States. Globally, I am interested in exploring the current state and future of Anthropocene ocean governance; particularly as it relates to marine protected areas, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Blue Economy, and the role of the ocean in achieving just and equitable goals for people and nature.

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Click here to access my most recent CV