About Me
I went on to complete a binational MSc in International Nature Conservation at the University of Göttingen (Germany) and Lincoln University (New Zealand). During this time, I worked with the World Wildlife Fund to develop a practitioner handbook on behavior change interventions and conducted my master's thesis research on how values shape visitor preferences in Denali National Park and Preserve.
I earned my PhD in Environment and Resources from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, working with Dr. Lisa Naughton-Treves. My doctoral research examined the psychological and social factors influencing agroforestry adoption and long-term conservation behavior among Indigenous Maya communities participating in Mexico's Sembrando Vida program. Along the way, I studied Yucatec Maya, spent extensive time conducting fieldwork in Mexico, and deepened my commitment to culturally responsive, community-engaged research.
I am currently a postdoctoral fellow jointly hosted by the Smithsonian Institution and The Nature Conservancy, where I study the social, psychological, and ecological factors that shape the long-term persistence of agroforestry systems in Latin America.
Growing up in the Pacific Northwest as the daughter of environmental enthusiasts, I developed an early love of nature. As a six-year-old, identifying native plants like salal, Oregon grape, and western red cedar felt like a personal treasure hunt. My curiosity about the natural world eventually took me backpacking through South America, where I first visited the Amazon rainforest. That experience sparked a lasting connection to Latin America and a desire to protect the ecosystems and communities that depend on them. Inspired by these experiences, I pursued dual bachelor's degrees in Environmental Science and Resource Management and Environmental Studies at the University of Washington. My undergraduate research took me to the Peruvian Amazon, where I studied deforestation, illegal gold mining, and forest monitoring using remote sensing technologies. These experiences exposed me to the complex social dimensions of conservation and inspired my growing interest in understanding human behavior and decision-making.