Biography
My research focus is the theology and philosophy of Martin Luther King Jr. I primarily explore the fundamental transformation and, at times, destruction necessary to make the Beloved Community a reality. In making this argument I draw on his rootedness in the Black church and put King into conversation with feminist, Womanist, and decolonial thought. I am currently a PhD candidate at Saint Louis University in Theological Studies and an MA student in Religion at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Research Interests
- Theology of Martin Luther King, Jr.
- Black Theology
- African-American Studies
- Women’s and Gender Studies
Education
(Ongoing) Ph.D. program in Christian Theology, Saint Louis University (St. Louis, MO),Graduate Minor in Women’s and Gender Studies - Expected 2023
M.A. in Theological Ethics, Saint Louis University (St. Louis, MO) - 2018
M.A. in Philosophy, University of Missouri—St. Louis (St. Louis, MO) - 2015
B.A. in Philosophy, Cum Laude, Greenville University (Greenville, IL) - 2012
Awards and Honors
Fall 2020 Qualified for “List of Teachers Ranked as Excellent by their Students” compiled by the Center for Innovation in Teaching and Learning
2019—2020 Culturally Responsive Teaching Fellow in the Reinert Center for Transformative Teaching and Learning
2019 Saint Louis University College of Arts and Sciences Distinguished Thesis Award
2018—2019 Henry Luce Foundation: Religion and Public Life Fellow
2016 The Students’ Choice “Best Classes at GU”
Courses Taught
UNIV 301: Science and Christianity, Greenville University (Greenville, IL)
PHIL 201: Major Issues in Philosophy, Greenville University (Greenville, IL)
PHLE 120: Ethics, Kaskaskia College (Centralia, IL)
PHLE 110: Logic, Kaskaskia College (Centralia, IL)
PHLE 119: Core Values and Ethical Decision Making, Centralia Correctional Center (Centralia, IL)
Academic Service
Spring 2021—present: Section Chair, Undergraduate Papers, Midwest American Academy of Religion
Professional Associations
2017—present: American Academy of Religion
2017—present: Wesleyan Theological Society
2021—present: Political Theology Network
2021—present: Fellowship of Protestant Ethics
Recent Publications
“On Prophetic Rage,” Sightings, The University of Chicago Divinity School, October 21, 2021, https://divinity.uchicago.edu/sightings/articles/prophetic-rage-0.