Dr. Carlise began teaching at UCSC with a brief appointment in Fall Quarter 2004.  Early in 2005, he returned to his adopted hometown of Portland, Oregon, to pursue a career in the non-profit sector, before eventually relocating to Houston, Texas, where he completed his Ph.D in Literature and Creative Writing at the University of Houston in 2012.

That fall, life (and Merrill College) brought him back to UCSC, where he has been ever since, teaching at Merrill and in the University Writing Program.