A Warm Welcome to Government Department's Incoming Faculty

Da’Von Boyd is a native of Norfolk, Virginia. He is broadly interested in political theory, with a focus in 20th-century African American political thought and social movements. Currently, he is working on two research projects dealing with Black political theology and Black conservatism during the Civil Rights Movement. His interest in political science stems from childhood conversations with family on political issues, as well as a lifelong desire to be a teacher. He is excited to work at William & Mary after being outside Virginia for more than a decade. Boyd is especially looking forward to working with the bright W &M student body. He received his BA from Morehouse College and his Ph.D. from Yale University.

Emma Ebowe is a political theorist focused on the U.S. and UK. She is interested in studying the welfare state as an idea, along with its impacts on families and communities. Her current book project tackles the state’s role in intimate relationships in the U.S. and British foster care systems. Her work in welfare stems from her post high school experience, where she traveled around the UK to work on healthcare reform, noting a distinct lack of discourse around values. This fall semester, Ebowe taught a seminar on “Justice and the Family,” which is in line with her research interests. She received her B.A. from McGill University and her Ph.D. from Harvard University.

Eun A (OON-a) Jo has an international educational background. Her research interests revolve around the politics of national memory and their implications for international relations, specifically in East Asia. Her current book project compares postwar, postcolonial, and post-authoritarian narratives in South Korea and Taiwan. In accordance with her focus on East Asia, she is the director of the Asia Policy Lab on campus. Jo received her B.A. from University College Utrecht, her Master of Public Policy from the Blavatnik School at Harvard, and her Master of Arts and Ph.D. from Cornell. She also held fellowships at Dartmouth College, George Washington University, and Cornell.

 
Ameni Mehrez is from Nabeul, a coastal city in Tunisia. She studies how citizens of the Arab world understand politics. Her work challenges assumptions about the region, emphasizing the role of individual values rather than secular-Islamic cleavages and clientelism. Living through the Ben Ali regime in Tunisia, then seeing her country transform during the Arab Spring motivated her to study political science. She first knew William & Mary as the home of James Bill, the College’s famous Middle Eastern politics professor, and is excited to work with students and professors. She received her undergraduate degree from the Higher Institute of Languages of Tunis, her MA from the University of Pécs in Hungary, and her Ph.D. from Central European University. During her final doctoral year, she received a fellowship at the Harvard Kennedy School.

 
Rio Park is originally from South Korea, but grew up in France. Her studies focus on how economic and security concerns affect support for environmental protection. Her dissertation saw her examine how economic competition on the world stage affects environmental support in the U.S. She also is curious as to why certain policies work better than others, which naturally led to a Ph.D. program. She was drawn to William & Mary by a good friend, who just so happened to be an alumnus. She is looking forward to getting to know the student body and is working on starting a lab about multinational companies’ environmental commitments. She spent her undergraduate career at Seoul National University, before getting her Ph.D. in political science at the University of California, Davis.

 Congratulations to our new Government faculty on nearing the end of their first semester! Take a class with them when you have a chance and engage with these wonderful scholars!