Meet Our People
The Baruch Institute is led by two Co-Directors, one from Coastal Carolina University and one from Francis Marion University. To learn more about our directors and get in touch with them about current or future research opportunities, review the information below.
Leadership
Madison W. Cates, Ph.D
Co-Director
Assistant Professor of History
mcates@coastal.edu
Office: Brittain 375
Phone: 843-349-6624
Madison Cates is an Assistant Professor of History at Coastal Carolina University. His research examines how diverse communities have understood, shaped, and related to the landscape of the Low-country South in the twentieth century. As Co-Director since August 2022, Professor Cates is especially interested in working with CCU/FMU faculty, students, and staff as well as community members in learning more about the impacts of human communities on the waters, woods, and rice fields that define Hobcaw’s landscape.
Richard A. Almeida, Ph.D
Co-Director
Professor of Political Science
ralmeida@fmarion.edu
Office: Founders Hall 139
Phone: 843-661-1631
Rick Almeida has been with the Francis Marion University's Department of Political Science and Geography since 2007 and has served as BISCS Co-Director since early 2023. He specializes in American political behavior (interest groups and voting), formal political theory, and classical political thought. His primary research interest involves formal models of lobbying coalitions.
