He earned his Bachelor of Arts at Cornell University and went on to receive a Masters of Arts and PhD in Political Science at The American University. He has given multiple academic talks over the years, most recently being a panelist on “Climate Change and Laudato si” at Cornell University. Being the faculty advisor for the Ithaca College Model UN Club led him to become the creator of, and advisor to, the College Model European Union Simulation class. In June 2018, he is going to give an academic talk on "Food and Sustainability: How government both helps and hinders" to the Longview community.