Hello
I am a sociologist specializing in labor, inequality, and the hidden dynamics of workplace culture, with a PhD from the University of Virginia and a Courtesy Fellowship with Johns Hopkins University. I am also a part-time Lecturer at Clemson University. My research, supported by the National Science Foundation and the Australian Research Council, has been published in interdisciplinary journals like New Media & Society, British Journal of Management, and Work, Employment and Society. Through my work, I explore the complexities of power and work, uncovering how workplace cultures shape and are shaped by broader societal forces.
My Story
My career has spanned academia, industry, and public service in both the United States and Australia. As a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Sydney, I translated the chaos of the COVID-19 workplace into vivid, accessible narratives published in outlets like The Sydney Morning Herald. Before that, while teaching as a graduate instructor at the University of Virginia, I drew on my students’ lived experiences to make abstract concepts like capitalist systems and gender inequality tangible and relevant.
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These academic roles are grounded in my early career experiences. I spent nearly a decade working frontline service jobs in retail and hospitality, where I first encountered the unspoken norms that shape workplace interactions. Later, I partnered with multinational corporations on Madison Avenue to craft compelling brand narratives and worked with nonprofits and government agencies in Sacramento on policy evaluation. From classrooms to cash registers to boardrooms, these experiences honed my ability to bridge institutional boundaries and uncover connections that resonate with workers and decision-makers alike.
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I am now an independent scholar and writer based in Athens, Georgia. Athens is near and dear to my heart. Growing up in a small rural town nearby, I thrived on the city’s creativity and independent thinking, and I later attended the University of Georgia with the support of the HOPE Scholarship—a lifeline for working- and middle-class families like mine. After traveling and living all over the world, I returned to Athens in 2024 to care for aging family members – an experience that has deepened my understanding of the struggles workers face in balancing professional ambition with caregiving responsibilities. These challenges inform my work today, as I strive to offer clarity and insight into workplace issues during a time when trust in institutions feels increasingly fragile.​
