Prior to joining the FSU faculty he served on the faculty of the Department of Civil Engineering and Environmental Science and as a research fellow with the Science and Public Policy Program at the University of Oklahoma. He holds a bachelor's degree in biology (Dartmouth College), a master's in environmental management (Duke University), and a Ph.D. in environmental science (State University of New York at Syracuse). His research includes water resources management, coastal hazards planning, and planning theory. Prior to his employment in academia he worked for 6 years as an environmental planner in Syracuse and upstate New York, primarily in the area of water resources planning and management.