I joined A&M-San Antonio in August 2008. My academic training includes a B.A. in History from the University of New Orleans (1995), an M.A. in History from the University of Nevada-Las Vegas (1997), and a Ph.D. in American Studies from the University of Texas at Austin (2004).

I teach classes on U.S. History, social and cultural history, and research methods. My scholarly research has focused on the history of children and youth and particularly on the history of juvenile justice. I have published two book-length studies: Who Gets a Childhood?: Race and Juvenile Justice in Twentieth-Century Texas (University of Georgia Press, 2010); and, Circuit Riders for Mental Health: The Hogg Foundation in Twentieth-Century Texas (Texas A&M University Press, 2016). In addition to numerous short articles, I also have co-edited a volume entitled Ages of Anxiety: Historical and Transnational Perspectives on Juvenile Justice (NYU Press, 2018).

My current scholarly projects include a history of age and capital punishment with the working title "Unprotected Childhoods: Age and the American Death Penalty;" and, a coedited volume on the history of mass incarceration in Texas with the working title "Texas Punishment: Bridging Carceral Histories in the Lone Star State."

Im also involved in public-facing projects, including the development of a podcast series in partnership with the Texas After Violence Project on the history of Texas juvenile justice; and, a multi-faceted initiative focusing on the states system of hospitals for people with mental illness, which includes a grant-funded oral history project of the Austin State Hospital. Im developing a field-based course at the San Antonio State Hospital that will allow students to work with historical records dating back to the 19th century.

Since 2022, I have served as the inaugural director of the University Honors Program. The program currently supports 76 students and will welcome its third cohort of students in Fall 2024.