A publicly engaged scholar of civil society, democracy, and international development, I study how civic groups and organizations work to build change from the ground up--and how the international community can support these efforts.
I am an Associate Professor of Public Administration and International Affairs at Syracuse University's Maxwell School of Citizenship & Public Affairs. From January to August 2023, I served as a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Belgrade (Serbia). I have also served as a Visiting Scholar at the American University in Cairo (Egypt) and Birzeit University (Palestine).
As a 2020-2021 Council on Foreign Relations International Affairs Fellow, I served as a Fellow at the U.S. Agency for International Development. At USAID, I worked on the team that designed the agency's "Locally Led Development" strategy.
My research examines how nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), voluntary grassroots organizations (VGOs), and local philanthropic foundations mobilize citizens for political, economic, and social change. I have conducted fieldwork in Serbia, Egypt, Palestine, Jordan, Syria, and Qatar.
My first book, Delta Democracy: Pathways to Incremental Civic Revolution in Egypt and Beyond, was published with Oxford University Press (2020) and won the 2021 Virginia A. Hodgkinson Research Book Prize awarded by the Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action (ARNOVA). The book uncovers the strategies that Egyptian NGOs used to advance the aims of the country’s 2011 Arab Spring uprisings. It also provides concrete policy recommendations on how U.S. policymakers can restructure foreign aid to better help local community organizations fighting to expand democracy.
My second book, Sovereignty Struggles: Civil Society, Foreign Aid, and the Future of Social Change, is under contract with Oxford University Press. The book examines how contemporary youth mobilize for freedom. Studying the rise of voluntary grassroots organizations, social enterprises, and community philanthropy groups in Palestine, I analyze how youth in the West Bank and East Jerusalem are asserting Palestinians' rights. The book also considers the promise and potential pitfalls of international donors' efforts to support this locally embedded work.
My third book project, The Brokers: NGOs Between Donors and Communities, which is funded in part by a Fulbright grant, analyzes locally led development in Serbia. During my 2023 Fulbright, I taught a course on civil society and democracy at the University of Belgrade Faculty of Political Science.
My work has appeared in the journals Public Administration and Development, Social Problems, Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, Nonprofit Policy Forum, VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations, Middle East Law and Governance.
As a publicly engaged scholar, I translate research findings for diverse audiences through briefings, writing, and interviews. I have briefed the U.S. State Department, USAID, military, politicians, philanthropic foundations, and civil society leaders in the U.S. and abroad. I also publish policy briefs and contribute to outlets such as Foreign Policy and NPR.
I hold a PhD in Public Policy from Duke University.
An avid swimmer, I am a NCAA Division III All-American and a member of the Mount Holyoke College Athletics Hall of Fame.
I am an Associate Professor of Public Administration and International Affairs at Syracuse University's Maxwell School of Citizenship & Public Affairs. From January to August 2023, I served as a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Belgrade (Serbia). I have also served as a Visiting Scholar at the American University in Cairo (Egypt) and Birzeit University (Palestine).
As a 2020-2021 Council on Foreign Relations International Affairs Fellow, I served as a Fellow at the U.S. Agency for International Development. At USAID, I worked on the team that designed the agency's "Locally Led Development" strategy.
My research examines how nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), voluntary grassroots organizations (VGOs), and local philanthropic foundations mobilize citizens for political, economic, and social change. I have conducted fieldwork in Serbia, Egypt, Palestine, Jordan, Syria, and Qatar.
My first book, Delta Democracy: Pathways to Incremental Civic Revolution in Egypt and Beyond, was published with Oxford University Press (2020) and won the 2021 Virginia A. Hodgkinson Research Book Prize awarded by the Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action (ARNOVA). The book uncovers the strategies that Egyptian NGOs used to advance the aims of the country’s 2011 Arab Spring uprisings. It also provides concrete policy recommendations on how U.S. policymakers can restructure foreign aid to better help local community organizations fighting to expand democracy.
My second book, Sovereignty Struggles: Civil Society, Foreign Aid, and the Future of Social Change, is under contract with Oxford University Press. The book examines how contemporary youth mobilize for freedom. Studying the rise of voluntary grassroots organizations, social enterprises, and community philanthropy groups in Palestine, I analyze how youth in the West Bank and East Jerusalem are asserting Palestinians' rights. The book also considers the promise and potential pitfalls of international donors' efforts to support this locally embedded work.
My third book project, The Brokers: NGOs Between Donors and Communities, which is funded in part by a Fulbright grant, analyzes locally led development in Serbia. During my 2023 Fulbright, I taught a course on civil society and democracy at the University of Belgrade Faculty of Political Science.
My work has appeared in the journals Public Administration and Development, Social Problems, Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, Nonprofit Policy Forum, VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations, Middle East Law and Governance.
As a publicly engaged scholar, I translate research findings for diverse audiences through briefings, writing, and interviews. I have briefed the U.S. State Department, USAID, military, politicians, philanthropic foundations, and civil society leaders in the U.S. and abroad. I also publish policy briefs and contribute to outlets such as Foreign Policy and NPR.
I hold a PhD in Public Policy from Duke University.
An avid swimmer, I am a NCAA Division III All-American and a member of the Mount Holyoke College Athletics Hall of Fame.