I was born in Orangeburg, SC, a town known for its good barbecue and okra. My parents soon moved to Anderson, SC, where I lived for the next fifteen years. In 2001, I set off to Winthrop University, which is located just south of Charlotte. There I became very interested in questions of political economy. In addition to my major in Economics, I minored in three areas: Math, Political Science, and Music (I can play a mean bass guitar). I also met my future-wife Nikki at Winthrop. Nikki is a bit of a Renaissance woman as she works in areas as diverse as graphic communications, web design, and economic forecasting.
After taking a year off to work at a polling research lab at Winthrop, I began my graduate studies in Economics at George Mason University. There I became immersed in the writings of James Buchanan, Vernon Smith, Gordon Tullock, Armen Alchian, and Douglass North. I’ve used these scholars as a template for my own work, which involves among other things experimental applications of questions in political economy.
While I was at Mason, I proposed to and later married Nikki. We were married on a beautiful gazebo overlooking the ocean on September 27th, 2008. Everyone agrees that our wedding hosted one of the liveliest receptions ever.
I graduated from George Mason in January 2011 and currently work as an Assistant Professor of Economics at Johnson and Wales University in downtown Charlotte.
Along with my economic interests, I also enjoy reading works by writers such as Dostoevsky, George R. R. Martin, Henry Miller, Kurt Vonnegut, Michel Foucault, Garth Ennis, and Nietzsche.
Finally, my wife and I both watch entirely too many films. But we do enjoy a few gems out there. My favorite directors are Martin Scorsese, Christopher Nolan, the Coen Bros., Stanley Kubrick, and Darren Aronofsky.