service & community

Employment & Education

2023-present Professor of Anthropology and Assistant Director of the Center for Middletown Studies at Ball State University
2017-2023 Associate Professor of Anthropology, Ball State University
2010-2017 Assistant Professor of Anthropology, Ball State University
2010 PhD Anthropology, University of Oregon
2004 MA Anthropology, University of Oregon
2001-02 Case manager, Lutheran Social Services Refugee and Immigration Center, Sioux Falls, SD
1998-2000 Volunteer & research coordinator, Medica Zenica Infoteka, Zenica, Bosnia-Herzegovina
1997 BA English literature and Psychology, German minor

Professional Offices, Service, and Leadership, selected

National/international

President-elect, Society for the Anthropology of North America, 2025-2027
Treasurer, Society for the Anthropology of North America, 2021-2025 (elected)
Reviewer, Center for Engaged Scholarship, UC San Diego, 2024-present (invited)
Reviewer, American Council of Learned Societies Fellowship Program, 2022-2024 (invited)
Area specialist for Southeastern Europe Fulbright scholars, speaker for orientation, 2021-22
Peer reviewer for 18 different academic journals, 5 tenure and promotion cases, 5 books

Ball State University, 2020-present

Co-President, American Association of University Professors, Ball State chapter, 2022-2024
Co-Vice Present, American Association of University Professors, Ball State chapter, 2020-2022
Faculty Council, Anthropology Department Representative, 2021-2024
Boren Scholarship Committee, 2016-2025
Secretary, Graduate Executive Committee Executive Board, Ball State University, 2019-2022
Member, Graduate Education Committee, 2016-2019

College of Sciences and Humanities and Department of Anthropology:

Assistant Director of the Center for Middletown Studies, May 2022-present
Chair of the College of Sciences and Humanities Curriculum Committee, 2023-2025
Member of the College of Sciences and Humanities Inclusive Excellence committee, 2020-2025
Department of Women’s and Gender Studies advisory board, 2023-present
Assistant Chair, 2019-2023 for which I wrote the 2020 Anth Department 5-year self-study
Director of the Anthropology Graduate Program, 2014-2018
Chair of the salary committee, 2021-2023
Member of the Promotion & Tenure and/or curriculum committees, 2010-present

Community Service and volunteering

Secretary for the Riverside/Normal City Neighborhood Association, 2017-2024
Member of the Executive Advisory Committee for the Muncie Afghan Refugee Resettlement Committee, 2021-2022
Board of Directors, South Sudan Women’s Empowerment Network, 2005-2009