I have been conducting research on central African history and politics since I was awarded a Fulbright IIE scholarship to Gabon in 1999. I earned a MA and PhD in history from Indiana University. Since 2011, I have been a professor of history at Marywood University in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Through my research and my visits to both the DR Congo and Gabon, I have an extensive network of contacts in government, human rights, academic, and diplomatic circles in the Republic of Congo, Gabon, and the DRC.
Child soldiers, Deportees/criminal deportees, Document Authentication, Ethnic discrimination or persecution, Forced conscription, Forced marriage, Gang-related violence/non-state actors, Gender-based violence/domestic violence, Journalist persecution, LGBTQ, Military/police service, Political persecution, Prison conditions, Religious discrimination or persecution, Government/state actor persecution, Risk of retaliation, Safe internal relocation, Sexual abuse/assault, Sufficiency of protection, Torture, Trafficking, Tribal discrimination or persecution, Violence against children/child abuse
I am a professor of history who has conducted research in Gabon and the Democratic Republic of Congo. I am fluent in French and also speak Fang (a Gabonese language) as well as Lingala (a Congolese language). Since 2004, I have written letters of support for asylum applicants from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, and the Republic of Congo. I have served as a country specialist for Amnesty International USA's central African country specialist group. I also have taught a course on central Africa for US State Department personnel six times since 2021. I have written roughly 80 reports, mainly on the DRC. I have written roughly 10 expert reports related to Gabon and the Republic of Congo. I have testified in US immigration court roughly ten times.