I am a democracy advocate, political scientist, and lecturer. My research, writing, teaching and public sector work focus on making democracy work better for those it is meant to serve. My forthcoming book “Stuck: How Money, Media, and Violence Prevent Change in Congress” will be published by Johns Hopkins University Press in Winter 2026. It chronicles fifty years of reform efforts in Congress, explains how Congress has become increasingly inhospitable to change, and makes the case for urgent reforms to save democracy.

My first book “Inside Congressional Committees: Function and Dysfunction in the Legislative Process" (Columbia University Press, 2023) examines the legislative process and how it can be strengthened.

As a Senior Fellow and Manager in Elections and Government program at the NYU Brennan Center for Justice, my research and advocacy focus on legislative reform, political violence, money in politics, and civic engagement.

Over the course of my career, I have worked on democratic governance issues at non-profits, international development organizations, and think tanks, including positions at NYU’s Govlab, Public Agenda, the Inter-Parliamentary Union and the UNDP. I have also taught graduate and undergraduate politics courses on a variety of topics at NYU, Georgetown, Oxford, and American University.

My commentary has appeared in the Washington Post, NPR, BBC, Scientific American, Newsweek, CSPAN, the Hill, Slate and my work has been cited in the New York Times, Bloomberg, The Saturday Evening Post, Ms. Magazine and other outlets. I hold a PhD in politics from Oxford University, an MPA from Columbia University, and a BA from Stanford University.