He formerly taught at the School of Public and Nonprofit Administration and Johnson Center for Philanthropy, Grand Valley State University, MI, USA. He received his Ph.D. in public affairs from the University of Pittsburgh, and worked as a project team member for the Pittsburgh Neighborhood and Community Information System. He conducts research in the areas of collaborative governance with an emphasis on utilizing information technology such as Geographical Information Systems. He is a member of International Working Group on Online Consultation and Public Policy Making, funded by National Science Foundation. He has published information technology related articles in several venues including Government Information Quarterly.