More about me

Why economics? I grew up in the small town of Minot, North Dakota and spent most holidays/vacations at the family dairy farm in northern Minnesota (by Plummer, MN). The operation of the farm interested me, even though most of my efforts there were unproductive. As soon as I was old enough, I obtained my first job as a cashier, which I found easy but very redundant. During high school, I worked as a stock clerk, telemarketer, and eventually started at a restaurant in various positions. Initially, I began as a cook, but after graduating high school, I gained experience serving, training, and supervising. A couple of years after high school, I started attending North Dakota State University (B.S. in Mathematics-2007) while continuing to work in the restaurant industry. I was promoted to kitchen manager.

As a kitchen manager, I oversaw 35+ employees and food production amounting to nearly $4 million in annual sales, while also training to become a general manager. After graduating with my bachelor's degree, I continued to take college classes in economics and statistics (obtaining minors in both). Many of the topics in my economics classes (e.g., costs of production, pricing strategies, and competition) really resonated with me and the various positions I had held. I continued to work as kitchen manager, but my passion for economics had begun!

What happened next? Early in 2008, my family was expected to increase from three to five with the arrival of my twin daughters. Needless to say, I had to "buckle down" if I wanted any advanced training. I decided to continue my training at NDSU. I went on to complete an M.S. in Agribusiness & Applied Economics (2010), while conducting research in the Center for Agribusiness and Trade Statistics (CAPTS) with my adviser Dr. Won Koo. In the fall of 2010, I began working on an Economics M.A. and Ph.D. at Kansas State University. During the program, I focused on improving my research skills while also developing the skills to become an effective instructor. My adviser, Dr. Yang-Ming Chang, encouraged me to follow topics I was passionate about. I began conducting research on how technology and regulation affect firms' behavior.

In the spring of 2015, I graduated and began working at the University of Wisconsin-Stout as an Assistant Professor of Economics. While at UW-Stout, I taught principles of microeconomics, principles of macroeconomics, industrial organization, environmental & resource economics and intermediate microeconomics. I also maintained an active research agenda, publishing ten peer-reviewed journal articles and receiving multiple grants. I was also awarded two fellowships and received the "Outstanding Emerging Researcher" award, which is given to an early career tenure-track faculty member for significant contributions to research and scholarly activities.

Where are you now? In 2020, I accepted a position at the University of Tulsa to teach policy analysis (and other courses). I was promoted to my current position of Associate Professor of Economics in 2023. In all of my positions, I've strived to connect students' lives to the topics we discuss in the classroom, while also maintaining an active research agenda.