Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Political Science & International Affairs

Deana is originally from Anderson County, South Carolina. She is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force and served two tours in Southwest Asia. Among her various duties, she served as a Network Support Technician for the Survival, Evasion, Rescue, and Escape (SERE) school and as a Paralegal for the Mountain Home AFB Gunfighters. She has travelled extensively across the United States and abroad, and she most recently called the Pacific Northwest her home. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Boise State University where she majored in Political Science with an emphasis in International Relations and Comparative Politics and minored in Environmental Studies. She gave undergraduate conference presentations about the effect of Baltic Sea pollution on the potential for conflict between Finland and Russia and its implications for future dyadic relationships, and her capstone project focused on how environmental sustainability efforts affect global gender inequality. Her current research focuses on how climate change and its associated impacts on the environment affect structural violence through the lens of gender inequality and systemic racism. Other than studying and researching, she enjoys snowboarding, biking, hiking, and swimming, as well as hanging out with her fluffy feline friend Max and her cuddly canine companion Mando.