He received his Ph.D. in social policy from The Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University, an M.S.W. from Arizona State University, and a B.S. in political science from Arizona State University. His research focuses on understanding social problems in context with an aim towards developing appropriate programmatic and public policy responses. His professional experience includes being a part-time faculty member at Boston College's Graduate School of Social Work, a research associate in the Schneider Institute for Health Policy at Brandeis University, an associate faculty member in the School of Social Work at Arizona State University, and a program administrator in the Arizona Governor's Division of Drug Policy.