Speaking Engagements
I speak on the forces that shape communities, institutions, and regional identity. My talks draw on my work in public policy, legal scholarship, and sports history, with topics that range from rural access to justice and Indigenous law and policy to the Boston Red Sox as a lens for understanding civic change.
I can speak to your organization on the following topics
Federal Indian Law and Policy
I speak on the legal and historical foundations of Federal Indian Law and the policies that continue to shape Tribal sovereignty, governance, and community life. My talks examine the relationship between Tribal nations and the federal government, the evolution of key doctrines and statutes, and the real‑world impacts of federal decision‑making on Native communities. I draw on legal scholarship, policy experience, and Indigenous perspectives to help audiences understand how these frameworks developed and why they remain central to questions of justice, self‑determination, and institutional power. I have presented on these issues at the National Indian Health Board’s National Tribal Health Conference, the American Anthropological Association’s annual meeting, the Health Law Professors Conference, and other national forums.
Rural Access to Justice
I speak on the barriers rural communities face in securing meaningful access to legal services and the structural factors that create legal deserts. My talks draw on research, policy experience, and community engagement to examine attorney shortages, geographic and economic obstacles, and the policy choices that shape who receives legal help. I have presented on these issues at national conferences, including the Rural Sociological Society’s annual meeting, the Equal Justice Conference, and the University of Maine Law Review’s Ensuring Equal Access to Justice Symposium, where I discussed the demographic and institutional challenges that define rural justice systems.
Baseball and Us
I speak on the ways baseball serves as a backdrop for understanding identity, community memory, and public life, a central theme of my Baseball and Us project. Rather than treating the game as the driver of history, my talks explore how baseball reflects the social, political, and cultural forces already at work in American communities. Drawing on stories ranging from Indigenous representation to the civic meaning of teams and ballparks, I show how baseball reveals deeper narratives about belonging, power, and the ways communities make sense of themselves.