Personal Statement

Since September 2000, I have been a faculty member in the Department of International and Transcultural Studies at Teachers College, Columbia University. I am affiliated with the Programs in Comparative and International Education and International Educational Development (CIE/IED). I hold a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (major field: Education; minor fields: African History and Educational Policy Studies), an M.A. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (major field: TESOL/Applied Linguistics; minor field: African Studies), and a B.A. from Purdue University (major field: Psychology; minor field: Political Science). I am currently an Associate Professor of Education and Associate Director of the Teachers College Center for African Education.

My research examines a number of key issues in the fields of international education and international development. These include AIDS and educational opportunity in Sub-Saharan Africa; gender and labor in rural Tanzania; and poverty reduction policy and programs. As an interdisciplinary researcher, I apply insights from anthropology, education, history, and sociology to address questions related to gender, health, policy, and the political economy of postcolonial states.

This year, I am the Coordinator for the CIE/IED programs. I am also serving a three-year term as Board Member of the Comparative and International Education Society (CIES) and am one of the Program Co-Chairs for the CIES Annual Meeting, which will be held at Teachers College from March 17-21, 2008. Beginning in September 2008, I will be a faculty member in the Comparative and International Development Education program at the University of Minnesota.