Presentations and Conference Leadership

Conference Presentations

  • “Diversifying a STEM Field and Social Capital Building” Presented at the American Sociological Association Annual Meeting, New York, New York, August 2026

  • "Assessing Cyber Law Classes at the Graduate Level" Presented at the Law and Society Annual Meeting, San Francisco, California, May 2026

  • "Teaching and Research Techniques in Cyber Law and Privacy" Panelist at the Law and Society Annual Meeting, Chicago, Illinois, May 2025

  • "Summer STEM Bridge Programs and Relationship Building in the Post-COVID 19 Era" presented at the Culturally Responsive Evaluation and Assessment Annual Meeting, Chicago, Illinois, April 2025 - Co-Presenters Lisa Ratliff, Roberto De Mata, Michael Botyarov

  • "Anger, Frustration, and Snitching: Inmates Describe Structured Isolation in a High-Tech Prison" presented at the Western Society of Criminology Annual Meeting, Phoenix, Arizona, February 2020

  • "The Intersection of Race, Gender, and Power: How Incarcerated Women Interpret Conflict between Inmates and Prison Staff" presented at the Society for the Study of Social Problems Annual Meeting, New York, New York, August 2019

  • "The Importance of Race in Female Inmates' Perceptions of Inmate/Staff Interactions" presented at the American Sociology Association Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, August 2018

  • "The 'Golden Rule' of Prison Culture and the Norm of Reciprocity: Stories From Maximum Security Prisons" presented at the Law and Society Annual Meeting, Toronto, Canada, June 2018

  • "From Procedural Justice to Situational Justice in Prison: The Context of Staff-On-Inmate Conflict" presented at the Western Society of Criminology Annual Meeting, Long Beach, California, February 2018

  • “Competency-Based Education” Presented to the Colorado Department of Higher Education Faculty & Employer Conference, Colorado, February 2018.

  • "State Power and Street Level Bureaucracy: The Analysis of Verbal Fights Between Inmates and Correctional Staff" presented at the Western Society of Criminology Annual Meeting, Las Vegas, Nevada, March 2017

  • "Self-Improvement vs. Job Skills: Gender Differences in the Perception of Help Among Male and Female Inmates" presented at the Law and Society Annual Meeting, New Orleans, Louisiana, May 2016

  • "Respectful Behavior and Inmate-Staff Conflict: Narrative Accounts of Respect and Power In a Total Institution" presented at the Law and Society Annual Meeting, Seattle, Washington, May 2015

  • "Maintaining Order and Following the Rules: Gender Differences in Punishing Inmate Misconduct." presented at the American Sociology Association Annual Meeting, San Francisco, California, August 2014

  • “The Inmate as the Nonperson: Examining Staff Conflict from the Inmate’s Perspective” presented at the American Sociological Association Annual Meeting, New York, New York, August 2013

  • “The Positive and Negative Outcomes of Inmate and Prison Staff Interaction” presented at the Society for the Study of Symbolic Interaction Annual Meeting, Denver, Colorado, August 2012

  • “The Positive and Negative Effects of Prison Friendships” California State University, Los Angeles.  Speaker for the Sociology Colloquium Series, February 2012

  • “The Social Construction of Gender, Sex and Rape” presented at the Society for the Study of Symbolic Interaction Annual Meeting, Las Vegas, Nevada, August 2011

  • “The Connection between Stigma, Power and Life Chances: A Qualitative Examination of Gender and Sex Crime in Yemen” Presented at the Society for the Study of Symbolic Interaction Annual Meeting, Atlanta, Georgia, August 2010

  • “Symbolic Violence and Prison Wives: Gender Roles and Protective Pairing in Men’s Prisons” Presented at the Society for the Study of Symbolic Interaction Annual Meeting, San Francisco, California, August 2009

  • “Shame and Honor in Yemen: Examining Braithwaite’s Theory in Cultural Context” Co-Presenter: Travis Morris.  Presented at the American Society of Criminology Annual Meeting, St. Louis, Missouri, November 2008

  • “Appealing to a Higher Loyalty: Justifying Violence as a Form of Social Control” Presented at the Society for the Study of Social Problems Annual Meeting, Boston, Massachusetts, August 2008

  • “Relational Violence in Women’s Prison: How Women Describe Interpersonal Violence and Gender Identity” Presented at the Law and Society Annual Meeting, Montreal, Canada, June 2008

  • “Justifying Assaults against Child Molesters: A Qualitative Approach to Examining the Importation/Deprivation Model of Inmate Behavior” Presented at the Law and Society Annual Meeting, Montreal, Canada, June 2008

  • “Protective Pairing in Women’s Prison: The Social Construction of Gender and Sexuality in Prison Relationships” Presented at the American Society of Criminology Annual Meeting, Atlanta, Georgia, November 2007

  • “Racial Segregation and Violence in Men’s and Women’s Prisons” Presented at the American Society of Criminology Annual Meeting, Atlanta, Georgia, November 2007

  • “A Qualitative Approach to Understanding the Connection Between Race, Gender and Prison Violence” Presented at the American Sociological Association Annual Meeting, Montreal, Canada, August 2006

  • “Race, Gender and the Changing Inmate Code: Emerging Strategies and Negotiation Techniques in California Prisons” Presented at the Pacific Sociological Association Annual Meeting, Hollywood, California, April 2006

  • “Rethinking Prison Research: Triangulation, Methodology and the Importance of Asking the Right Questions” Presented at the Pacific Sociological Association Annual Meeting, Hollywood, California, April 2006

  • “From Heroes to Outcasts: How State Concessions Impact the Collective Identity of Social Movement Activists.” Presented at the Pacific Sociological Association Annual Meeting, Hollywood, California, April 2006

  • “How Radical is Too Radical?:  The Effects of State Concessions on the Radical Flank.” Presented at the Society for the Study of Social Problems Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, August 2005

  • “The Revision of Cultural Scripts: New Police Strategies and the Circumvention of the Fourth Amendment in the Post 9/11 Era.”  Presented at the Law and Society Annual Meeting, Las Vegas, Nevada, June 2005

    Conference Organizer, Chair, and Discussant Positions

  • Organizer: Teaching and Research Techniques in Cyber Law and Privacy for the Law and Society Annual Meeting, Chicago, Illinois, May 2025

  • Chair: Gender Roles in Crime and Criminal Justice Professions for the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences Annual Meeting, Denver, Colorado, April 2016

  • Co-Chair/Discussant: Women, Prison and Violence Section for the Society for the Study of Social Problems Annual Meeting, Boston, Massachusetts, August 2008, Co-Chair: Jodie Lawston

  • Chair/Discussant: Death and Other Penalties Section for the Law and Society Annual Meeting, Montreal, Canada, June 2008

  • Chair: Explaining Prison Behavior: Culture, Codes and Topography Section for the Law and Society Annual Meeting, Montreal, Canada, June 2008

  • Chair: Crime, Prisons and Violence Section for the Society for the Study of Social Problems Annual Meeting, New York, New York, August 2007

  • Chair:  Prisons, Race and Gender Section for the Pacific Sociological Association Annual Meeting, Hollywood, California, April 2006

  • Discussant: Undergraduate Honors Paper Presentations Section for the American Sociological Association Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, August 2005

  • Discussant: Emerging and Developing Police Strategies after 9/11 Section for the Law and Society Annual Meeting, Las Vegas, Nevada, June 2005