Education

• 2005 – 2012	University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill Ph.D. in Anthropology Tribal economic development, Small Businesses; Sovereignty
• 1998 – 2001	Wayne State University M.A. in Economics Labor economics, human resources
• 1992 – 1996	University of Michigan B.A. in Economics

PhD:

I completed my dissertation and defended in the Spring of 2012. My dissertation, titled “The Business of Being Cherokee: An Examination of the Transformative Power and Vision of Small Businesses on the Qualla Boundary of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians,” is chaired by Dr. Valerie Lambert.

Other Committee members include:

• Dr. James Peacock, UNC-Anthropology
• Dr. Theda Perdue, UNC-History
• Dr. Michael Lambert, UNC-Anthropology, African-American Studies
• Dr. Rudi Colloredo-Mansfeld,  UNC-Anthropology