I am a writer, editor, and policy analyst with over 20 years of experience in Minnesota’s thriving human rights community. I believe in the power of language as a tool for advocacy, persuasion, and social change. I am deeply committed to the essential principle that all human beings deserve to be treated with respect, that we all have a right not simply to survive, but to live in dignity. I view human rights as an evolving moral framework and field of advocacy concerning how human beings are and should be treated by authority and by each other.

From 2022 through the end of 2023, I served as a writer and project manager for the Minnesota Human Rights Archive, a large, unique, and growing interdisciplinary resource that includes collections of scholarly materials; organizational records from nongovernmental organizations and academic centers; and personal papers from scholars and advocates. During this critical launch phase, I served on the Archive’s executive team; drafted and edited written materials (including grant proposals and curatorial materials); supervised student workers; and curated exhibition content.

From 2015 - 2021, I worked as a Senior Editor & Writer to the late, great Professor David Weissbrodt (Emeritus) at the University of Minnesota Law School. In this position, I drafted and revised content on a variety of human rights issues, particularly for the fifth edition of International Human Rights: Law, Policy, and Process (5th ed., Carolina Academic Press, 2021). I also coordinated the cataloguing and transfer of Professor Weissbrodt's papers and research materials to the University of Minnesota Archives.

Prior to working directly for Professor Weissbrodt, I served in various positions at the University of Minnesota Human Rights Center for over a decade, including as Assistant Director from 2012 - 2015. In this latter role, I was the Center’s lead staff writer and a key administrator. I developed and edited content for grants, reports, and human rights publications, as well as engaged in the development and financial management of the Center’s programs.

I was a volunteer interpreter/translator with The Advocates for Human Rights for 13 years, helping French-speaking clients from Central and West Africa with their asylum cases. I also served the organization as a temporary administrator from August 2016 - June 2017, helping to fill a staffing gap during a transitional period. I assisted with organizational operations, development, and communications projects.

I obtained my Masters of Public Policy degree from the Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota in 2011, specializing in Global Public Policy with a minor in Human Rights. My education and experience have enabled me to develop strong topical knowledge of the history and politics of human rights; human rights in the United States; economic, social, and cultural rights; the right to a fair trial; torture and other ill treatment; and human rights philanthropy. International travel experience further enriched my understanding of these important issues, as well as taught me the value of observing and listening.

I live in St. Paul, Minnesota, with my wife, our three children, and our two cats. I blog on human rights, policy, and politics at The Ad Hoc Standing Committee. I am also an amateur musician and songwriter. I write more informally about music at Trebling Developments.