I am an expert on public and private records, oral histories and transcription, and photographic evidence; creating and managing databases; and producing excellent research summaries.
Consultant: Huntington-USC Institute on California and the West (ICW) – Lead researcher on a fourth grade California history textbook project, responsible for researching significant individuals in California history, drafting an overall curriculum, and analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of existing projects.
Red Line Editorial, Inc. – Served as a content consultant on a series of books for the Perspectives Library (here, here, and here), responsible for checking that the fictional stories accorded with the latest historical scholarship and recommending additional sources as necessary.
Staff Researcher: Huntington-USC Institute on California and the West (ICW) – Postdoctoral Research Fellow from 2010-2012. For one project I created an index of over 2,500 terms with short definitions, ranked and categorized. For another project I conducted genealogical research, uncovered and analyzed new photographic evidence, transcribed interviews, identified relevant public records and news clippings, and integrating this evidence with maps and eyewitness accounts.
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County – Research Assistant for the Material Culture division of the Department of History during the summers from 2005-2007. I worked on a new collections database, assisted in cleaning and updating exhibits, digitized photo records, drafted project proposals, and assisted visiting scholars.
Personal Academic Work: My dissertation drew on materials from federal, state, and university archives in Arizona, Texas, Kansas, Iowa, and Michigan. These included official and private correspondence, speeches, press releases, transcripts, photographs, audio recordings, video footage, campaign memos, and diary entries. I also conducted oral history interviews and gained access to previously unknown personal collections.