Michael R. Cope is an Associate Professor of Sociology at Brigham Young University and co-Director of the BYU Community Studies Lab. He earned his PhD in Sociology with graduate minors in Women’s and Gender Studies & Disaster Science and Management from Louisiana State University in 2015. His research focuses on community sociology and social change, with an emphasis on rurality, disasters, and disruptions. Michael currently serves as the Co-Executive Director and Treasurer for the Rural Sociological Society.