Hello! Thank you for visiting my faculty webpage, where I share about my research, teaching, and musings. I am a sociologist who is Melvin Simon Chair and an Associate Professor in the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at IUPUI, as well as an affiliate faculty in the Human-Centered Computing Department of the School of Informatics and Computing, IUPUI.

 

My long-standing interests in social scientific investigations of charitable giving, youth, and emerging adults led to discoveries of generational and technological changes, generally and in the field of philanthropy. In particular, I am increasingly intrigued by the role that artificial intelligence, machine learning, and data science technologies have in advancing efforts to promote the welfare of others. This includes curiosities about data for good, tech for good, philanthropy data analytics, data philanthropy, ethical decision-making in data-informed practices, and social impacts of technological advancements generally.

 

Prior to joining IUPUI, I was an Assistant and Associate Professor of Sociology and Co-Director of the Center for Social Research at the University of Arkansas, and before that was a Postdoctoral Fellow with the Kinder Institute for Urban Research at Rice University. In terms of my education, I hold a Doctorate and Master of Arts degree in sociology from the University of Notre Dame, a Master of Social Work degree in community practice from the University of Denver, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology and psychology from the University of Arizona.

 

My research engages intersectional approaches to understanding charitable and religious giving, youth, emerging adults, and social change. Broadly, all of my work directs attention to how people are shaped by and shape their organizational contexts, with particular emphasis on understanding motivations for social supports with, and generational changes in voluntary participation in charitable and religious organizations.