She received her Ph.D. in History at Boston University (2003). She has traveled extensively in Africa as well as lived in Ghana (West Africa) and Tanzania (East Africa). Before coming to USF, she coordinated Oxfam America’s Horn of Africa Program and taught at the University of California, San Diego. Her current research is on the history of river development and the building of hydroelectric dams in Africa. In her spare time, she enjoys visiting San Francisco’s farmer’s markets and eating establishments.