I grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma and attended the University of Tulsa, where I discovered sociology (thank you Dr. Blocker!). I then earned an M.A. in sociology from Washington State University. I loved my time in the northwest and was lucky enough to meet my wife there. We ended up in Phoenix, Arizona, where I spent a few years leading a project gathering drug use data from arrestees in local jails. I moved down the road to become a graduate student in sociology at the University of Arizona. It was in Tucson that I found my passion for social network analysis. After receiving my Ph.D., I headed back up the road to join the faculty at Arizona State University. My years in Arizona brought some great experiences (two children) and some not-so-great experiences (google “haboob”). I moved to UC-Irvine in 2017 after spending 11 years at ASU. When not in the office I can be found on the local soccer fields or beaches.