I am a sociologist and board-certified coach. Here is my abridged CV. After receiving my undergraduate degree at the University of California-Berkeley, I went on to complete my doctorate in sociology at the University of California-Davis. In addition to seventeen years of university teaching experience, I have conducted extensive ethnographic research on criminal court reform in California, Ohio, and Chile. I authored Outsourcing Justice: The Role of Nonprofit Caseworkers in Pretrial Release Programs in addition to numerous research articles on law, mental health, professions, and organizations.

Using my analytical and coaching skills, I am dedicated to helping mental health court teams design and implement effective treatment responses to persons with mental illnesses by breaking down institutional barriers and reducing organizational noise.

My photography project with justice-involved veterans fueled my passion for visual coaching. I found that veterans’ photos of their everyday lives under court-mandated treatment revealed complex trauma histories before, during and after their military service. Funded in part by the Ohio Bar Foundation, my team recently produced Honorably Discharged, a short documentary film about the sexual assault crisis in the United States military.

Before earning my doctorate, I taught literacy in the Department of Education at San Quentin Prison for eight years and co-directed the prison’s family visitors center. In addition, I am a court-authorized mediator in the state of Ohio.