Education:
Ph.D., Criminology & Criminal Justice, University of Missouri-St. Louis
M.S., Criminology & Criminal Justice, University of Missouri-St. Louis
B.S., Criminology & Criminal Justice, University of Missouri-St. Louis

Research Areas:
• Victimization among Minority and Disadvantaged Groups
• Neighborhood Conditions and Victimization
• City, Neighborhood, and Individual Level Risks for Victimization
• Gender and Victimization
• Qualitative and Quantitative Methods of Victimization Research

Generally, my research has focused on the study of victims and risks for victimization. Previously, I was involved in a research project that assessed risks for violent victimization among urban, adolescent African American girls. The study examined such risks across a variety of contexts which included community, school and home environments. From this project, I co-authored a chapter entitled, “Race, Inequality and Gender Violence: A Contextual Examination” in The Many Colors of Crime: Inequalities of Race, Ethnicity and Crime in America. Currently, my research focuses on assessing macro-level risks for victimization by examining the relationship between city conditions and non-fatal victimization. Furthermore, a multi-level approach to understanding victimization is considered since ‘known’ correlates of victimization at the individual- and neighborhood-level are examined in addition to city conditions.

Teaching Areas:

Undergraduate Courses
• Juvenile Justice Systems
• Theoretical Criminology/Theories of Crime
• Crime, Criminals & Victims
• Race, Class and Criminal Justice

Graduate Courses
• Advanced Theoretical Criminology

My overall goal, in terms of teaching students, is to be as accessible as possible to those I teach. I work hard to ensure that students feel comfortable coming to me when they have concerns or issues regarding the class and/or course materials and assignments. I also feel that instead of simply lecturing students, it is essential that I allow time for class discussion. It is important that the classroom atmosphere be an inviting one in which students feel free to discuss the topics which are being covered and express their opinions even when we are covering controversial issues such as race, ethnicity and crime. This method allows me to understand how the students comprehend the subject matter which in turn, helps me to be more effective in teaching them.

Vita