Dr. Cheryl Van Den Handel began her education in politics in Northern California from 1993-1997, participating in the Base Realignment and Closure process in the San Francisco Bay area, serving as the liaison between military families and the community, and serving on the Hamilton Redevelopment Commission. She has a long affiliation with the U.S. Navy as an active Navy Wife. Her degrees include a B.A. in Political Science and a Master of Public Administration from Texas A&M University Corpus Christi, a Master in International Studies and Ph.D. in Comparative & World Politics from Claremont Graduate University in Claremont, CA.  She has been teaching for five years. Her research is focused on the political economy of developing countries, with particular interest in the development of institutions and governance.  She is currently working on a manuscript on Mexico, and papers on the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, and the political economy of the ongoing international food crisis.