About Dr. D

When I was a professor at Ithaca College, my students called me “Dr. D” once they got to know me. This made me feel a bit cooler than I probably actually am. I also liked it because it reflects both the close relationship I have with my students, and their respect for my hard work. I was the first person in my family to graduate from college. This meant that college was a mystery to me, and figuring out what it meant to be a good college student took some time.

Although I went on to get two master’s degrees and a Ph.D., it was my undergraduate experience at the University of Oregon–where I was a dual major in Japanese language and Asian Studies–that developed my confidence in my ability to learn and set me on an ambitious path.

I lived in Japan and traveled throughout East Asia for nearly seven years. This experience broadened my worldview, taught me humility, and instilled a deep appreciation for cultural differences.

I returned to graduate school at Cornell University, eager to think through questions about why the world’s people and places are divided up as they are.

After earning my doctorate in development sociology at Cornell, I found myself in the most fortunate of circumstances. The personal roots I had established in the area while in graduate school lined up perfectly with a faculty position in the Department of Politics at Ithaca College. This is where I developed my skills as both an educator and an advisor, in the small classes and tight-knit connections with my students.

When I’m not advising students, I am paying attention to what is going on in the world. I’m also hiking, kayaking, gardening, cooking, lingering over a chess board, and trying to figure out my next visit to Western Montana, where I grew up.