I am an Assistant Professor of Political Science in the Department of History and Political Science at Vanguard University in Costa Mesa, California. My research and teaching interests explore the intersection of constitutional law, religion, and American political development, with particular attention to the First Amendment’s Religion Clauses, evangelical political mobilization, and cause lawyering.

I earned my Ph.D. in Political Science from Claremont Graduate University, specializing in American Politics and Political Philosophy. My studies in political philosophy engage key figures such as Plato, Publius, John Locke, Martin Heidegger, and Dallas Willard, reflecting a broader interest in the history of political thought. During my doctoral studies, I was supervised in American Politics by Jean Reith Schroedel and the late Michael Uhlmann, and guided in Political Philosophy by Mark Blitz and James Nichols.

My mixed-methods research investigates why evangelical clergy engage in partisan politicking despite legal prohibitions, drawing on over three decades of sermon data, interviews with pastors and attorneys, and analysis of statutes and IRS regulations. This work examines the theological and moral convictions, legal strategies, and political motivations behind the “Pulpit Freedom Sunday” movement. It explores how evangelical pastors understand political engagement not merely as a civic duty but as integral to the restoration of moral knowledge.

Prior to Vanguard, I served as a lecturer in the Department of Political Science at California State University, Los Angeles, for nearly a decade. In 2019, I also began teaching at Chaffey College, where I continue working with incarcerated students through the Rising Scholars Program at the California Institution for Men and the California Institution for Women.