Hello! I am an assistant professor in the O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University Bloomington. There, I co-direct the Metropolitan Governance and Management Transitions Laboratory, which focuses on the organizational and institutional challenges associated with local sustainability, resilience and climate-action. My research explores the linkages between the environment, human institutions and behavior.
You can read my new Cambridge University Press Element "Organizing and Institutionalizing Local Sustainability' here.
I have studied the intergovernmental performance issues surrounding the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) program funded by Congress in 2009, the reform of growth management regulations in Florida, citizen perceptions of local government environmental and social programs, and the cognitive biases of citizens and public managers related to climate-mitigation and social equity policies. Currently, my lab is working on NSF-supported projects investigating Indiana local government sustainability, U.S. urban water utility management, and the implementation of the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act/2022 Inflation Reduction Act.
Prior to joining the academy, I was a Graduate Research Fellow at the National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center (SESYNC), where I was a co-PI on a Graduate Pursuit focused on cities and sustainable water management. This work involved compiling urban-scale data on the institutions, hydroclimatic conditions, and media salience of water management issues. Along with my inter-disciplinary collaborators, we used this pilot study to help secure a National Science Foundation grant (2019-2024) through the Dynamics of Integrated Socio-Environmental Systems (CNH2) program to expand this work. I was also awarded an NSF CAREER grant through the Science of Organizations program (2020-2024) to study the integration of local government sustainability planning, capacity-building and performance management in Indiana communities.
You can read my new Cambridge University Press Element "Organizing and Institutionalizing Local Sustainability' here.
I have studied the intergovernmental performance issues surrounding the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) program funded by Congress in 2009, the reform of growth management regulations in Florida, citizen perceptions of local government environmental and social programs, and the cognitive biases of citizens and public managers related to climate-mitigation and social equity policies. Currently, my lab is working on NSF-supported projects investigating Indiana local government sustainability, U.S. urban water utility management, and the implementation of the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act/2022 Inflation Reduction Act.
Prior to joining the academy, I was a Graduate Research Fellow at the National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center (SESYNC), where I was a co-PI on a Graduate Pursuit focused on cities and sustainable water management. This work involved compiling urban-scale data on the institutions, hydroclimatic conditions, and media salience of water management issues. Along with my inter-disciplinary collaborators, we used this pilot study to help secure a National Science Foundation grant (2019-2024) through the Dynamics of Integrated Socio-Environmental Systems (CNH2) program to expand this work. I was also awarded an NSF CAREER grant through the Science of Organizations program (2020-2024) to study the integration of local government sustainability planning, capacity-building and performance management in Indiana communities.
