I came to CINTRAFOR with my BS in Statistics and Analytics from the University of North Carolina. I earned my MS in Quantitative Ecology and Resource Management at CINTAFOR under the supervision of research scientists Suzanne Peyer and John Hermanson. My Master’s thesis work, titled Using Species Distribution Modeling to Assess Illegal Trade Risk: A Case Study of US Imports of Endangered Mahogany (Swietenia spp.), discovered potential instances of high-risk tropical woods being imported to the United States with intentionally disguised species names and harvest countries.

As a research scientist, I am continuing my work under Drs. Peyer and Hermanson on the Arbor Harbor project, a partnership with USDA APHIS to prevent illegal wood imports by leveraging reference data to develop risk indicators. Currently, I am researching how species distribution modeling can be employed efficiently to detect import declarations whose species and harvest country are contradictory. I was the winner of the UW 2024 Three Minute Thesis competition, presenting my work on illegal wood imports.

Outside of my work on wood trade, I am passionate about sports and sports analytics, earning a top 5 placement in the 2025 NFL Big Data Bowl, and I can frequently be found attending Husky baseball games.