about
I research and write on issues related to democracy, civic engagement, and political reform in the U.S. and in Brazil. More recently, I was a Senior Research Manager at the Partnership for Public Service, where I lead our work to empower government’s use of strategic foresight and futures thinking. Previously, I was at Stand Together, where I managed a portfolio of investments in Foreign Policy and at New America, where I was a Fellow and the Deputy Director with the Political Reform program. Prior to working at New America, I was a Junior Fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. I’m an honors graduate of Indiana University where I studied Political Science, and an MBA graduate from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
selected publications
brazilian identity & politics
THE ECONOMIC, SOCIAL, DEMOGRAPHIC, AND POLITICAL REASONS THAT HAVE LED BRAZILIANS TO SUPPORT JAIR BOLSONARO, and THE POTENTIAL CONSEQUENCES OF A PUBLIC THAT NO LONGER TRUSTS ITS OWN DEMOCRATIC INSTITUTIONS.
Brazil’s New President Starts His Term on a Tightrope, The Dispatch, January 19, 2023.
Essential trust: Lessons from Brazil’s trust crisis, WBUR’s On Point, November 30, 2022.
How does “Brazil’s Trump” Hold On?, Persuasion Magazine, January 22, 2021.
Brazil Under Bolsonaro, New America Weekly, July 25, 2019.
How Evangelical Conservatives Are Gaining Power in Brazil, Foreign Affairs, March 7, 2019.
The Rise of Jair Bolsonaro, Persuasion Podcast, February 27, 2019.
Women for Bolsonaro, Foreign Affairs, October 26, 2018.
Brazil’s Fiery Far-Right Presidential Favorite Channels Trump, The Atlantic, October 6, 2018.
The Rise of the Brazilian Evangelicals, The Atlantic, January 24, 2018.
Brazilians are losing faith in democracy and considering a return to military rule, Polyarchy/Vox, September 19, 2017
Brazil has a Donald Trump, and his chances at the presidency are looking better every day, Quartz, June 20, 2017.
What the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff Means for Other Brazilian Women, Pacific Standard Magazine, September 13, 2016.
Political reform & civic engagement
NEW IDEAS TO REPAIR THE DYSFUNCTION OF GOVERNMENT, RESTORE CITIZEN TRUST, AND REBUILD THE PROMISE OF AMERICAN DEMOCRACY.
Building a Culture of Innovation in Government: A vision for the future and Ideas for how to get there, Partnership for Public Service, February 28, 2023 (with Michelle Ly)
Foresight is 20/20: Challenges and Opportunities in Congress’ Future, Partnership for Public Service, June 28, 2022.
Serving the People: Congressional Staff Perspectives, Partnership for Public Service, July 21, 2021.
Where Residents, Politics, and Government Meet: Philadelphia’s Experiments with Civic Engagement, New America Policy Paper, November 15, 2018 (with Elena Souris and Hollie Russon Gilman).
What It Takes: From Philadelphia, Lessons About Philanthropy and Civic Engagement, Inside Philanthropy, November 15, 2018.
Is voting a civic right or a civic duty?, Vox/Polyarchy, November 6, 2018.
Our expectations of what civic engagement look like don’t match reality. Can we fix that?, Polyarchy/Vox, February 13, 2017.
Only More Democracy Can Save Democracy, New America Weekly, November 10, 2016.
Democracy: A Contested American Value, Pacific Standard Magazine, September 30, 2016.
Can Transpartisan Coalitions Overcome Polarization?, New America Policy Paper, May 16, 2016 (with Heather Hurlburt).
faith & public life
Looking at THE ROLE THAT SACRED PLACES, AS CIVIC INSTITUTIONS, PLAY IN AMERICAN SOCIETY AS ENGINES FOR CIVIC POWER.
Democratic Presidential Hopefuls Are Closing the 'God Gap', New America Weekly, May 16, 2019.
The Limits of the Power of Prayer in American Politics, New America Weekly, February 14, 2019.
Re-Conceptualizing Sacred Spaces, Pacific Standard Magazine, February 1, 2018.
Church Attendance and the Decline of Civic Spaces, Pacific Standard Magazine, November 7, 2017.