Trained as a cultural anthropologist, my work draws on interdisciplinary approaches including postcolonial theory, Black studies, political theory, and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) analysis. I’ve secured over $400,000 in grant funding and led interdisciplinary teams through applied research, strategic planning, and stakeholder engagement. My leadership is rooted in mentorship and a deep commitment to public impact.
Community engagement is central to my research. I founded the Brush Arbor Community Engaged Field Program, a three-year NEH-funded initiative to digitally preserve a historic African American cemetery in Mississippi. I continue this work as Associate Director of Research at the Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity at The Ohio State University, where I advance community-based restorative research. I also serve as the Caribbean and Latin American editor for the People's Map of Global China.
My research explores racial and ethnic formation, transnationalism, diaspora, and political economy, with a focus on the enduring legacies of colonialism and racial capitalism in the Caribbean and the U.S. South.
My scholarship has been supported by Fulbright-Hays, the Coordinating Council for Women in History, and the Ronald E. McNair Fellowship. I’ve held fellowships with the Ostrom Workshop and the Op-Ed Project’s “Write to Change the World program, and received honors for diversity, inclusion, and community-engaged learning. I excited to be a member of the Leadership Columbus Signature Program class of 2026.
Click here to read my scholarship.
Research Interests
Chinese infrastructure development, Caribbean anthropology, racial/ethnic formation, transnationalism, diaspora, nationalism, political economy, postcolonial theory, community organizations/associations, community engagement, critical geography, geographic information systems, critical pedagogy