He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Texas at San Antonio and his doctoral degree from Texas A&M University. His core areas of research are presidential management/policy making and the public presidency. In particular, he focuses on questions that explore how and why presidential managerial and rhetorical strategies influence policy making performance and, in turn, how the public influences and appraises such efforts. He is also interested in studies on immigration and race/ethnicity. His publications include articles in Political Research Quarterly, Presidential Studies Quarterly, Administration & Society, Review of Policy Research, International Journal of Public Opinion Research, International Journal of Public Administration, International Journal of Conflict Management, and Race, Gender & Class.