A native of Missouri, I received my undergraduate and masters degrees from Central Missouri State University, and my Ph.D. from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Prior to entering the teaching profession I worked as a radio broadcaster and print journalist.
My academic specialty is East and Southeast Asia history with an emphasis on international relations in the Pacific region during the first half of the twentieth century. I have published two books and several articles on Thailand's role in World War II and now am studying U.S.-China relations by focusing on the biography of long-time U.S. State Department China hand, Willys R. Peck.