My engagement with the organization over the years has included service on last year’s Conference Committee, host and presenter roles at several CESS conferences, as well as a judgeship on 2021’s Book Award Committee. My published work on Central Eurasia includes two monographs, two book-length translations of Central Asian Turkic sources, two edited volumes, and many articles. The geographical range of this research overlaps nicely with CESS’ coverage, spanning Central Eurasia from Kazakhstan to Iran and from Xinjiang to the Volga-Urals.

This year I was promoted to Associate Professor of History at Northwestern. One of my goals in the years to come is to develop a closer relationship with CESS as a representative of the university’s growing Central Asia/Caucasus field. On that front, I have reached out to three current and former CESS government members about hosting a future conference at NU, and I look forward to exploring other avenues for collaboration. As a Board member, I would also plan to expand CESS’ outreach to historians, among whom the Society is sometimes regarded as a hub for political science and current events research. Increasing outreach to historians (perhaps by hosting and co-sponsoring targeted, history-themed events) would allow CESS to take advantage of the remarkable growth and vibrancy of historical studies within the region as well as in the U.S. and Europe.