I'm a Professor of Philosophy at Old Dominion University in Norfolk VA. Much of my work to date has focused on John Stuart Mill's moral and social-political philosophy; my book J. S. Mill: Moral, Social and Political Thought was published by Polity in 2010. In addition, I work on topics in consequentialist moral philosophy and liberal political thought. At present, I'm also pursuing interests in moral psychology and practical reasoning. From 2016 to 2022 I served as the editor-in-chief of Utilitas, after having previously served as its reviews editor.

I did my Ph.D. at the University of Pittsburgh under the supervision of Kurt Baier and David Gauthier. While at Pitt I also completed an M.A. in economics. Before coming to ODU in 1999 I held one-year positions at the University of Minnesota Duluth and the University of Florida. From April through July 2014 I was the John Stuart Mill Visiting Chair of Social Philosophy at the Universität Hamburg.

I have, somewhat to my surprise, become an experienced administrator. From 2007-13, I served as chair of my department. From 2015-17, I was my university's Provost's Fellow for Faculty Development. In 2017, I became my college's Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies. In 2022, this title changed to Associate Dean for Research, Graduate Studies, and Faculty Affairs.