Born and raised in Colorado, I'm a first-generation college student who values the fundamental importance of the liberal arts and the strong foundation they provide for building successful lives, careers, and communities. As director of the Oklahoma Center for the Humanities, I develop community-engaged scholarship that focuses on complex challenges like immigration, identity politics, food insecurity and data privacy. My interdisciplinary scholarship explores how we create, circulate, and value modern modern literature, music, and art.  I'm currently at work on a book titled Bob Dylan's Odyssey.