Academic Appointments

Education

• Postdoctoral Fellowship, Joan B. Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, University of Notre Dame, 2006 – 2007.
• Ph.D. in Anthropology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2005.
• Master of Arts in Anthropology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 1998.
• Traineeship in Democracy Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 1998.
• Bachelor of Arts in French and Comparative Literature Summa cum laude, Boston University, 1994.
• Intensive French and humanities courses, L’Université de Grenoble (France), 1992 – 1993.

Additional Training

• National Science Foundation Short Courses on Research Methods in Anthropology
• Text Analysis, July 2010, Duke University Marine Labs, Beaufort, North Carolina
• Geo-spatial Analysis, August 2010, Duke University Marine Labs, Beaufort, North Carolina
• Social Network Analysis, July 2012, Duke University Marine Labs, Beaufort, North Carolina

.Fellowship & Honors

J.B and Maurice C. Shapiro Fellow, Jack, Joseph, and Morton Mandel Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies, U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, January – July 2019

Humanities Research Center Fellow, College of Arts & Sciences, Georgia State University, Fall 2018

National Science Foundation, Cultural Anthropology Program, Intrinsic and Extrinsic Factors in Rescuer Behavior, 2012 – Present.

Rockefeller Visiting Fellow,  Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, University of Notre Dame, 2006-2007

Dissertation Completion Grant, University of North Carolina, 2001 – 2002

United States Institute of Peace, Peace Fellow 2000 – 2001

National Science Foundation Democracy Trainee, University of North Carolina, 2000 – 2001

Fulbright-Hays Dissertation Research Abroad Program, 1999 – 2000

Institute for the Study of World Politics Dissertation Research Fellowship, 1999 – 2000

Research Grant, WorldReach, Summer 1998

Foreign Language Area Studies Fellowship for Kiswahili, University of North Carolina, Summer 1998

National Science Foundation Democracy Trainee, University of North Carolina, 1997 – 1998

Pre-dissertation Travel Grant, University of North Carolina, Summer 1997

Patrick Stewart Human Rights Fellow, Amnesty International USA, 1997

Alice M. Brennan Humanities Fellow, Boston University, 1994

Trustees Scholar, Boston University, 1990 – 1994

Awards and Honors

Aidoo-Snyder Book Award Honorable Mention, Women’s Caucus, African Studies Association, 2015.

Elliot Skinner Award, Association for Africanist Anthropology, 2013.

African Studies Association Book Award (formerly known as the Melville J. Herskovits Award) Honorable Mention, African Studies Association, 2013.

Polgar Award for Public Anthropology, University of North Carolina, 2000.

Paula A. Baxa Award in French, Boston University, 1994.

Phi Beta Kappa, Boston University, 1994.

University Scholar, Boston University, 1990 – 1994

Language Skills

English – Native speaker with excellent communication skills.

French – Oral and written fluency at near native ability.

Kinyarwanda – Oral and written proficiency.

Swahili – Basic communication skills.

Spanish – Basic communication skills.

 Other Professional Experience

Consultant – Public Policy Research and International Development

(1996 – Present)

• Expert witness before the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office of the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. immigration courts.
• Led focus group research for the North Carolina State Infant Mortality Collaborative and the North Carolina Healthy Start Foundation.
• Conducted policy analysis research and gender-diversity gap analysis for CARE-Rwanda.
• Conducted mid-term evaluation for the Local Governance Initiative for Africare-Rwanda and USAID.
• Led team that prepared case study of Rwandan women’s organization for USAID.
• Developed program and submitted funding proposals to USAID for AVEGA-AGAHOZO, a local women’s organization in Rwanda.

Research Associate, TeleSage, Inc. (Chapel Hill, NC)

(March 2004 – July 2006)

• Oversaw implementation of two Small Business Innovative Research grants from the National Institutes of Health with budgets totaling $1.4 million.
• Assisted Primary Investigator, a psychiatrist, in the development of R-01 and Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant applications to the National Institutes of Health. Helped secure $1.5 million in funding from NIH.
• Collaborated in the development of survey instruments used to measure mental health status. Conducted cognitive interviewing to validate survey items.

Director of Communications & Research, J. Donovan Associates, Inc.

(1994 – 1996)

• Developed fund-raising plans and public relations campaigns for not-for-profit organizations.
• Wrote and produced press releases, case statements, promotional videos, grant proposals, study reports, and marketing materials on a time-sensitive basis.
• Managed free-lance writers, photographers, and video production crews.

Professional Service

Treasurer, Association for Feminist Anthropology, 2015 – 2020.

Member, American Anthropological Association, 1996 – Present.

Member, African Studies Association, 2001 – Present.

Georgia State University

• Director of Undergraduate Studies, Global Studies Institute, 2016 – Present.
• Member, College of Arts & Sciences Executive Committee, 2016 – Present.
• Affiliate Faculty, Transcultural Violence Initiative, 2015 – Present.
•  Affiliate Faculty, Center for Human Rights and Democracy, 2015 – Present.

Reviewer
      African Studies Review
      Ethnic & Racial Studies
      Women’s Studies International Forum
      Review of African Political Economy
      Global Corruption Report 2009, Transparency International

Member, Réseau des femmes oeuvrant pour le développement rural (Rwanda), 2000 – Present.

University of Louisville

• Undergraduate Advisor, Department of Anthropology, 2008 – 2015.
• Faculty Coordinator, Undergraduate Internship Program, Department of Anthropology, 2008 – 2015.
• Member, College of Arts & Sciences Curriculum Review Committee, 2007 – 2010.
• Member, University General Education Curriculum Committee, 2009 – 2010.
• Faculty Advisor, Amnesty International, UofL Chapter, 2008 – 2010.
• Faculty Advisor, Anthropology Student Association, 2007 – 2008.
• Faculty Advisor, Lambda Alpha Anthropology Honor Society, 2007 – 2008.

Board of Directors, Kentucky Refugee Ministries, 2009 – 2015.

Board of Directors, Rwanda Initiative for Sustainable Development (Rwanda),               2001 – 2005.

Student Representative, Curriculum Review Committee, Department of Anthropology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2002 – 2003. 

Board of Directors, Amnesty International, USA                                                                          (1995 – 1999)

• Vice Chair (1998 – 1999)
• Chair, Administration and Development Committee (1996 – 1998)
• Chair, Executive Director Performance Review Committee (1999)
• Executive Committee (1996 – 1999)
• Budget Committee (1996 – 1998)
• Conflict of Interest Task Force (1998 – 1999)
• Board Liaison to Children’s Rights Network Steering Committee (1997 – 1999)
• Board Liaison to the National Campus Advisory Committee (1995 – 1997)
• Official Representative of Amnesty International USA to the Assemblée Générale of Amnesty International Côte d’Ivoire (1998)
• Delegate, International Council Meeting, Amnesty International in Troía, Portugal (1999)