There are few things that I love doing more than geology (specifically, geophysics), environmental action (particularly around water resources and climate), and working towards the resilient development of people and communities.

So that is what I do.

I currently work as a geophysicist at the Illinois State Geological Survey in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois in the Hydrogeology and Geophysics section. The Illinois State Geological Survey is a part of the Prairie Research Institute, an interdisciplinary research institute located on the University of Illinois’ campus.

I previously served as secretary on the national steering committee of Young Evangelicals for Climate Action, an organization seeking to change the conversation around climate change and our moral responsibility to care for Creation.

I am currently working towards a PhD part-time at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. I am in the Department of Geology in the School of Earth, Society, and Environment, where I am studying risk and resilience with respect to natural hazards.

I earned masters degrees at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in Community Development in the Urban and Regional Planning Department (now, the Department of Planning and Landscape Architecture) and in Environment and Resources in the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies.  My thesis topic was the resilience of avocado farmers in San Diego County in the face of water scarcity, environmental changes, and market forces. It can be found here (full text PDF available here).

I completed my undergraduate work at Wheaton College (IL), where I received a B.S. in Physics: Geophysics and a B.A. in Biblical and Theological Studies. During that time, I also completed the Human Needs and Global Resources (HNGR) Certificate program, an interdisciplinary program that focuses on the partnering with organizations and people living in the “Global South” towards more resilient communities, and I completed a minor in Spanish Language.

In my free time I like long bike rides along the country roads around Urbana-Champaign (I’m still riding the bike I got for my birthday in fifth grade, though with many modifications), kayaking and canoeing in the Sangamon River, playing basketball and volleyball, and enjoying the outdoors. Since I’ve been in the Midwest, I’m learning to appreciate winter sports.

Feel free to be in touch: