He completed a Ph.D. in Political Science at West Virginia University and an M.P.A. in Public Administration as well as an M.T.S. in Religion, Culture, and Personality at Boston University’s School of Theology. Damien’s research has focused upon leadership, primarily, presidential rhetorical leadership in relation to salient policies such as economics, institutions, and immigration. He is author of “Economic Actors, Economic Behaviors, and Presidential Leadership: The Constrained Effects of Rhetoric” and “Debating Immigration in the Age of Terrorism, Polarization, & Trump” with Joshua Woods. He has published refereed journal articles in Presidential Studies Quarterly, White House Studies, and Sociological Spectrum. He is currently writing the definitive biography of Senator Robert C. Byrd.