After finishing my doctorate in Criminal Justice and Criminology (CJC) at the University of Cincinnati I embarked on a job search to find a tenure track position, ultimately accepting an assistant professor line in CJC here at UMKC (beginning Fall of 1999). My decision to study the Criminal Justice system has been and remains motivated by the fact that there are a lot of improvements needed. I have spent the majority of my career developing and analyzing ways to assess treatment (rehabilitation) program quality, as well as actuarial risk, need, and responsivity assessment. Likewise, my hope has been and remains that the academic work we all do will lead to a more humane and just Criminal Justice system that helps people lead functional lives devoid of crime and other antisocial behaviors. My degrees include a B.A. in Sociology (Aquinas College, 1991); M.S. in Criminal Justice (Illinois State University, 1993); Ph.D. in Criminal Justice and Criminology (University of Cincinnati, 1999). I currently work in administration as UMKC's Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs. Most recently I was awarded the University's Award for Excellence in Service (2022) in recognition of my work in Faculty Affairs as Associate Dean in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences. I still publish in the areas of program evaluation, risk/need responsivity assessment, and pretrial case processing.

Academic credentials

  • B.A., Sociology, Aquinas College (1991)
  • M.S., Criminal Justice, Illinois State University (1993)
  • Ph.D., Criminal Justice, University of Cincinnati (1999)

Research interests

  • Institutional and community corrections
  • Offender assessment
  • Rehabilitation and treatment
  • Behavioral change theory and strategy