Dedicated PhD candidate, Fellow at the Institute for Counter Digital Extremism, researcher at the Center for Governance and Markets, and U.S. Army combat veteran with a research focus on militias, insurgencies, and extremist networks. My work centers on contemporary models of right-wing and left-wing fringe movements, with particular attention to recruitment dynamics, veteran mobilization, polarization, and digital extremist ecosystems. At the Center for Governance and Markets, I study Rust Belt political and social issues, including polarization, extremist mobilization, governance, and the local conditions that shape political violence.
My interest in political philosophy began as an undergraduate at Duquesne University, where I majored in philosophy while competing as a collegiate football player. After a brief period at Campbell University School of Law, I chose to pursue military service, enlisting in the United States Army. I served five years as a Fire Support Coordinator, deploying to Iraq, Syria, Yemen, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and other areas across the Middle East. These assignments provided extensive experience in combat operations, tactical coordination, and the operational realities of conflict environments.
Following military service, I pursued graduate studies in international relations at the University of Pittsburgh’s Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, where my research focused on militia movements and the recruitment of U.S. veterans into extremist organizations. After completing graduate school, I worked with the University of Pittsburgh’s Office of Veterans Services before transitioning into the private sector with a Pittsburgh-based startup specializing in executive protection and intelligence services. In that role, I served as a client relations manager and conducted red teaming and security assessments for organizations across the region.
I am currently pursuing a PhD at GSPIA, where my research examines militias, insurgency, terrorism, political violence, and extremist mobilization, bridging academic theory with operational and field-based experience. As a Fellow at the Institute for Counter Digital Extremism, I contribute to the analysis of digital extremist ecosystems and organizational adaptation. At the Center for Governance and Markets, I examine how regional political economy, polarization, institutional trust, and social fragmentation affect governance and extremist activity in the Rust Belt.
Outside of my research and professional work, I enjoy mountaineering with my wife Lauren, walking my dogs Ted and Pax, fishing, and spending time with a good book.