His research background is in race studies, social justice, critical theory, and cultural studies. He has been a park professional since 2005 and a social justice advocate since 1991. His article “Notes from a Leisure Son: Expanding an Understanding of Whiteness in Leisure,” published in the Journal of Leisure Research, introduced new ways of connecting leisure to social justice movements. He is a member of the National Recreation and Park Association and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). He received his PhD from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.