Welcome to my website! I am currently a doctoral student in the Department of Sociology at the University of Chicago. I'm originally from small town, North Carolina where I spent the first twenty-some years of my life. I'm a social philosopher who eventually grew to need empirical research to test my theories. This, in combination with my interest in community development, led me to sociology - in particular, the study of civil society.

I am currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Sociology in order to research and better understand civil society - the complex, mercurial, and boundary-spanning space that occupies the intersection between the public sphere, nonprofit sector, state, and economy. Professional and trade associations, community organizaitons,social movements, and clubs can all be considered iconic organizations of civil society; each with its ties to governments, corporations, and media. My interest is in how they become more effective, collaborative, and constructive and how they influence and are influenced by state and economic institutions. You can find out more in my Current Research section.

My work on civil society is not only about expanding our perspective on civic organizations and their role in society more broadly, but also about contributing to practical tools that civic organizaitons and policy-makers can use improve their local communities. One result of my research will hopefully be metrics that organizations can use to measure a community's civic strengths and weaknesses and identify strategies to encourage sronger, more democratic forms of collective action. You can find out more about my practical side in my Work with Nonprofits section.

Lastly, if you want to know where I fit into the world, see my Favorite Links section. It offers references to the major works and ideas guiding my research, organizations whose work is most relevant to mine, and other cool stuff that I just like.