An experienced history teacher who has taught the Western Civilization survey for more than ten years at the college level, he also has contributed lesson plans for the College Board’s AP European History curriculum. He spent three years as the Book Review Editor for The Russian Review, one of the leading scholarly journals for Slavic studies, covering current research in history, literature, and political science. He received his Ph.D. from Ohio State University, and has published several articles on Russian and East European history in such journals as Nationalities Papers, Church History, The Journal of European Economic History, and Comparative Studies in Society and History.