About

I was raised in cattle country at the foot of California's Sierra Nevada, and now call the wide open spaces and soaring mountains of Northern Colorado home. I am deeply interested in how agricultural and pastoral livelihoods interact with environmental conservation in impoverished regions of our world. I study human attitudes and behavior in these contexts, and ask questions about how we can make conservation more equitable and avert suffering for people and wildlife. 

During my career, I have been fortunate to have opportunities to carry out environmental and socioeconomic research in North America and Africa, and to work for both grassroots and global conservation organizations (CV). I am currently pursuing my PhD in the Salerno Lab at Colorado State University, where I am a Leopold Schepp Foundation Scholar and a graduate researcher in the Center for Human-Carnivore Coexistence. I am also a first-generation college student, and a strong advocate for equity for women, first-generation, and socioeconomically disadvantaged students in STEM education and professions.  

On a personal note, I'm rarely happier than when I'm on a bike or a dirt trail, and preferably both. When I'm not biking (or taking a short break to run, hike, or backpack), I enjoy gardening, cooking, and live music. I love my passel of nieces and nephews, animals of all shapes and sizes, and a good crime drama.