Overview
I am an Assistant Professor in the Strategy Area at the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University I work at the intersection of strategy and economic development, focusing on the following areas: understanding how entrepreneurs set strategies in uncertain environments, how entrepreneurship environments are governed, and more broadly how firm strategy-setting impacts the building of inclusive and sustainable economies. I rely primarily on econometric causal inference methods, which I combine with qualitative and survey techniques, to explore these questions, collaborating closely with entrepreneurs, financiers, non-profit organizations, and governments.
I earned my Ph.D. in Business Strategy at Harvard Business School. Previously, I earned my bachelor's degree in Economics and Mathematics from Morehouse College, graduating as valedictorian. I also earned an M.Phil. in Development Economics and International Development from the University of Oxford as a Marshall Scholar. Prior to academia, I worked in the non-profit sector, financial services, consulting, and Fortune 500 companies developing infrastructure and services for marginalized populations in the US, UK, Brazil, and South Africa.
Current Appointments & Affiliations
Recent Publications
The Need for Speed: The Impact of Capital Constraints on Strategic Misconduct
Journal Article Management Science · July 1, 2025 Existing literature suggests that firms engage in misconduct in response to financial pressure. However, the extent and severity of misconduct have been challenging to determine given the lack of granular data. This limitation is particularly true ... Full text CiteThe Impact of Communicating Strategy on Employee Ideas: Evidence from a Global Startup Field Experiment
Journal Article · August 28, 2024 CiteRecent Grants
Consumer Protection Research Intiative
ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Innovations for Poverty Action · 2025 - 2027FinTech, Competition, and Productive Credit: Reshaping SME Markets in South Africa
ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Innovations for Poverty Action · 2025 - 2026View All Grants