Education

Ph.D. in English. Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana, 2006

• Dissertation: “Net Work: Social Networks, Disruptive Agency, and Innovation in Howells, Fitzgerald, Heller, Pynchon, and Gibson”
• Committee: Dr. Kecia Driver Thompson (director), Dr. Robert D. Habich, Dr. Joseph F. Trimmer, Dr. Patrick Collier, and Dr. Melinda Messineo
• Specialization: Twentieth-century and contemporary American literature and culture
• Exams in: American and British Literature, Literary Theory, Composition and Rhetoric

M.A. in English (Literature). Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana, 1998

• Thesis: “Fascination Machine: A Study of Pop Music, Mass Mediation, and Cultural Iconography”
• Committee: Dr. Patti White (director), Dr. Lauren Onkey, and Dr. Lee Papa

B.S.Ed. Taylor University, Upland, Indiana, 1996; summa cum laude

• Secondary education/English (major)
  Communication arts education (minor/teaching endorsement)
  State of Indiana Teacher’s License (secondary level)
  

Research and Teaching Interests

twentieth century and contemporary American literature; American immigrant literature; postmodern literature, culture, and theory; writing and composition pedagogy; computers and writing; visual narratives (film and media studies, including comics/graphic novels); the rhetoric of literary expression; social network theory; experience-based/immersive learning

Dissertation Abstract

My dissertation analyzes the agency of outsider characters in American literature who cause disruption without necessarily securing economic or political power. Network science (as theorized by thinkers like Duncan Watts and Albert-László Barabási) explains social networking structures: clusters of people, bridges between them, pathways through them. I theorize such structures as what Michel Foucault calls “surfaces of emergence,” on and through which new notions may enter awareness. To analyze the influence of characters like Howells’s Silas Lapham and Fitzgerald's Jay Gatsby, I show how network surfaces of emergence provide space for what Michel de Certeau calls “secondary production”—inventive repurposing and redeployment of cultural ideas and products. Besides Howells and Fitzgerald, I consider Pynchon’s The Crying of Lot 49, Heller's Catch-22, and Gibson's Pattern Recognition.

Teaching (Through Spring 2021)

Professor of English, Whitworth University. (July 2018 - Present)
Associate Professor, Whitworth University. (July 2013 - June 2018)
Assistant Professor, Whitworth University. (July 2008 - June 2013)
Instructor, Ball State University. (Aug. 2000 - 2002, Aug. 2004 - May 2008)
Instructor, Ivy Tech State College. (Summer 2000, Summer 2001)

Courses Taught

First-Year/Freshman Seminar (3 sections, 2009 - 2015)
Senior Seminar/Senior Portfolio (4 sections, 2010 - 2014)

Introduction to English Studies (5 sections, 2004 - 2007)
Reading Literature (2 sections, 2006 - 2009)
American Literature Survey, 1865 to Present (14 sections, 2002 - 2021)
American Literature Survey, Discovery to Present (1 section, 2009)

20th-Century American Fiction (6 sections, 2008 - 2020)
Postmodern Literature and Culture (6 sections, 2010 - 2019)
American Drama Since 1900 (6 sections, 2011 - 2021)
American Immigrant Literature (8 sections, 2009 - 2020)
African American Literature (2 sections, 2013 - 2017)

Intro to Film Studies (8 sections, 2006 - 2020)
Visual Narratives (Graphic Novels) (6 sections, 2011 - 2021)
Digital Storytelling (4 sections, 2009 - 2017)
English Studies and Technology (1 section, 2008)

Writing 1/First Year Composition (24 sections, 2000 - 2013)
Writing 2/Multimodal Composition (2 sections, 2016 - 2020)
Basic Writing (3 sections, 2000 - 2001)

On Teaching 

A Reflective Essay from 2007

Administration and Leadership

Faculty President, Whitworth University. Elected to two year term by vote of the entire faculty. (July 2019 - June 2021)

Director of the Film and Visual Narrative Minor, Whitworth University Department of English. (July 2013 - Present)

Department Chair, Whitworth University Department of English. (July 2015 - June 2019)

Acting Department Chair, Whitworth University Department of English. (Jan. 2014 - Dec. 2014)

Writing Program Assistant Director for Technology / Laptop Classroom Coordinator, Ball State University. Coordination of renovations and technology purchases; writing annual technology proposals; troubleshooting and teacher support for laptop-based classrooms; development and implementation of new ideas for laptop-oriented teaching and learning, based on teacher and student feedback; offering, organizing, and running workshops for teachers. (Aug. 2005 - May 2008) 

Director of the “Tell-a-Vision” Program, Ball State University; sponsored by the Virginia B. Ball Center for Creative Inquiry and the BSU Center for Media Design. Funding and guidance of team-based, student-driven, immersive learning projects designed around new/emerging media and technologies. (July 2002 - Dec. 2004)

Graduate Assistant for Study Abroad Programs, Ball State University Center for International Programs. Promotion of study abroad programs on campus; management/direction of team of five undergraduate classroom presenters. (Aug. 1996 - May 1998)

Academic Publications

"Letters to a Complacent Mule: Immigration and Illiteracy in Abraham Cahan’s Yekl." College Literature 47.3 (2020): 522-51.

“Response: Against Eloquence.” President’s Colloquy on Civil Discourse: Whitworth University 2017-18. Ed. Beck A. Taylor and Nathan L. King. Whitworth University, 2018. 59-65. Print. One of three responses to Nathan King’s keynote, “Building Better Discourse."

“Comics and Visual Storytelling Module: Teacher Version, Grade 12.” With Molly Johnson. Washington State’s “Bridge to College” Program. 2018. Learning module, including assignments, teaching approaches, and glossary, designed to prepare HS seniors for college-level work. 30 pp. / ~14,500 words.

"Poverty Lines: Visual Depictions of Poverty and Social Class Realities in Comics.” Teaching Comics Through Multiple Lenses: Critical Perspectives. With Janine Darragh. Ed. Crag Hill. Routledge, 2016. 113-31. Print. Addresses Spider-Man, Joe Sacco's Safe Area Goražde, Marzena Sowa/Sylvain Savoia's Marzi, and other texts. 

"Perspicuous Objects: Reading Comics and Writing Instruction." Best of the  Independent Journals in Rhetoric and Composition, 2014. Ed. Steve Parks, et al. Parlor Press, 2016. Rpt. from Kairos: A Journal of Rhetoric, Technology, and Pedagogy 19.1 (2014). Print.

"Three Questions with Fred Johnson." Interview by John W. Pell. The Blogora. Rhetoric Society of America, 3 Apr. 2015. Web. ~2000 words.

"A Transmedia Storyworld: The Edge is One, But Not the Same." U2 Above, Beyond, and Across: Interdisciplinary Assessments. Ed. Scott Calhoun. NY: Lexington Books, 2015. 71-90. Print. Addresses U2, Davis Guggenheim's U2-related documentaries, The Matrix franchise, and transmedia storytelling.

"Assignment: Photo Essay." Practical Composition: Exercises for the English Classroom from Working Instructors. Ed. Russell Brickey, Laura L. Beadling, and Evelyn Martens. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2014. 218-24. Print.

"Assignment: Critical Analysis of a Documentary Film." Practical Composition: Exercises for the English Classroom from Working Instructors. Ed. Russell Brickey, Laura L. Beadling, and Evelyn Martens. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2014. 224-29. Print.

"Perspicuous Objects: Reading Comics and Writing Instruction." Kairos: A Journal of Rhetoric, Technology, and Pedagogy 19.1 (2014). Web. With art by Scott Kolbo. A multi-threaded webtext built around a ~16,000-word scholarly article.

“Film School for Slideware: Film, Comics, and Slideshows as Sequential Art.” Computers and Composition 29.2 (2012): 124-36. Print. Looks at presentation design, film and comics theory, and pedagogy.

Commentary and Background for Hannah Charlton’s “The Shadow of Turning.” The Journal for Undergraduate Multimedia Projects 3.1 (2011): n. pag. Web. <https://jumpplus.net/issues/issue-3-1/167-2/>. Along with Hannah's comic adaptation project from my Visual Narratives course, this piece features my commentary, additional reviewer commentary, course information, and my extensive class assignment.

Commentary and Background for Kyle Kim’s "Closer." The Journal for Undergraduate Multimedia Projects 2.1 (2010). Web. <https://jumpplus.net/issues/issue-2-1/closer-by-kyle-kim/>. Along with Kyle’s video project from my course, this piece features my commentary, additional reviewer commentary, course information, and my extensive class assignment.

“A Portable Ecology: Supporting New Media Writing and Laptop-Ready Pedagogy at Ball State University.” 19 pages. With Kristie S. Fleckenstein and Jackie Grutsch McKinney. Technological Ecologies and Sustainability: Methods, Modes, and Assessment. Ed. Dànielle Nicole DeVoss, Heidi A. McKee, and Richard Selfe. Logan, UT: Computers and Composition Digital Press/Utah State UP, 2009. Web.

“About Those Loops.” Technological Ecologies and Sustainability: Methods, Modes, and Assessment. Ed. Dànielle Nicole DeVoss, Heidi A. McKee, and Richard Selfe. 10 Minute Video. Logan, UT: Computers and Composition Digital Press/Utah State UP, 2009. Web.

“Weak Ties and Academic Community.” Forum: Newsletter of the Committee on Contingent, Adjunct, and Part-Time Faculty. Special Section in College Composition and Communication 60.1 (2008): A9-A11. Print.

“Surviving a Plague of Blogs: Strategies for Understanding and Managing Online News and Opinion Environments.” Reformation: The Teaching and Learning of English in Electronic Environments. Ed. Richard N. Matzen, Jr., and Jia-yi Cheng-Levine. Taiwan: Bookman Books, 2007. 167-84. Print.

“U2, Mythology, and Mass Mediated Survival.” Popular Music and Society 27.1 (2004): 79-99. Print. Article based on MA thesis; explores identity formation and manipulation in mass media environments.

e-Ball Point: Writing Program Handbook. 20th ed. of Ball Point, 2nd electronic edition. Editor/Co-writer. Muncie, IN: Ball State University Department of English, 2002. Web. BSU’s in-house writing handbook.

Selected Academic Presentations (Click Here for a More Complete List of Presentations, Events, and Readings.)

"True Lines: Art, Truth Telling, and Creative Nonfiction in Joe Sacco’s War Zone Comics" at the American Literature Association Conference, San Francisco, CA (May 2018).

“Casting Cartoons: Comics Theory, Film Analysis, and Edgar Wright’s Scott Pilgrim” at the Rocky Mountain MLA Annual Convention, Spokane, WA (Oct. 2017).

"Stories He Can’t Tell: Abraham Cahan’s Yekl and the Consequences of Illiteracy in New York’s Late-Nineteenth Century Jewish Immigrant Community” at the American Literature Association Conference, Boston, MA (May 2017).

"Assembling Your Own U2: Reading, Research, and Writing in Transmediated Territories" at Computers and Writing 2015, University of Wisconsin-Stout, Menomonie, WI (May 2015).

“Programatic Agility and the Small Liberal Arts College Ecosystem: A Panel and Discussion on the Evolution of Multimodal Composition Programs at Smaller Colleges and Universities,” with John Pell and Jessica Clements, at Computers and Writing 2014, Washington State University, Pullman, WA (June 2014).

“Visual Patterns, Narrative Paths: Chris Ware’s New Graphic Novel, Building Stories, as User Interface,” at Computers and Writing 2013, Frostburg State University, Frostburg, MD (June 2013).

“Davis Guggenheim’s Edge: U2’s Guitarist as a Transmedia Character in the Films of Davis Guggenheim,” at the U2 Conference, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Cleveland, OH (April 2013).

“Scribbly Lines and Peripheral Foreshadowing: What a Comics Page Can Teach Us About Composing Interfaces” at Computers and Writing 2012, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC (May 2012).

"MacGuffins and Mad Science: How Lost Dodges Moral Consequences by Ignoring the Bloody Promise of Its Premise.” Opening remarks for “Religious Themes and Human Prospect in Lost,” a public panel discussion with Dave Calhoun, Michael Collender, and Daniel Walter. Faith, Film, and Philosophy Lecture Series, Whitworth and Gonzaga Universities, Spokane, WA (Oct. 2010).

“The Story of ‘Digital Storytelling': Developing a No-Budget Course in Emerging Writing Technologies” at Computers and Writing 2010, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN (May 2010).

“Starting with Bad PowerPoint: Slideware Instruction and the New Media Composition Course” at Computers and Writing 2009, UC Davis, Davis, CA (June 2009).

"A Portable Ecology: Planning Your Next Move" (workshop session), as part of the "Technological Ecologies: Methods, Modes and Assessment" workshop chaired by Dickie Selfe at Computers and Writing 2007, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI (May 2007).

“How to Refuse Friendship and Irritate People: The Formation, Fracturing, and Control of Social Networks in Flannery O'Connor's The Violent Bear It Away” at the Louisville Conference on Literature and Culture Since 1900, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY (Feb. 2007).

“Help Me Find It: Teaching Research as a ‘Long Tail’ Conversation” at the Indiana College English Association Annual Conference, Indiana University East, Richmond, IN (Sep. 2006).

“From the ‘Long Tail’ to the Center: How Blogging and the Internet Make Little Things Big” at the Conference on College Composition and Communication, Chicago, IL (Mar. 2006). (Reviewed here.)

“Exploiting the Apopheniac: How Power Circumvents Itself in William F. Gibson’s Pattern Recogniton” at the Twentieth Century Literature Conference, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY (Feb. 2006).

“Access at the Hubs: The Pedagogical Potential of ‘Weblogs’ and Other News Hubs” at the Conference on College Composition and Communication, San Francisco, CA (Mar. 2005).

“Nets with Disabilities: A Network Science Approach to Motherless Brooklyn, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, and The Pleasure of My Company” at the Twentieth Century Literature Conference, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY (Feb. 2005).

"Tom Corey in the Court of the Paint King: The Unstable Social Network in W.D. Howells's The Rise of Silas Lapham" at the Indiana College English Association Annual Conference, Ball State University, Muncie, IN (Oct. 2004).

“How They Play the Kevin Bacon Game in West Egg (and at Fangoso Lagoons): Approaching Literary Criticism Through Network Science” at the Twentieth Century Literature Conference, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY (Feb. 2004).

“Michel Foucault Plays the Kevin Bacon Game: The Science of Networks in Literature Classrooms and Literary Criticism” at the Indiana College English Association Annual Conference, University of Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN (Sep. 2003).

"Revenge of the Flukeman: Agents, Scenes, Subversions, and Darin Morgan’s X-Files” at the Twentieth Century Literature Conference, Louisville, KY (Feb. 2003).

“A Tour of the Panoptic(online)” at the Conference on College Composition and Communication, Chicago, IL (Mar. 2002).

Recent and Selected Campus/Local Presentations and Events

Panel Member, Q and A for New Department Chairs, New Chair Workshop, Whitworth University, Spokane, WA (Aug. 29, 2017; Aug. 27, 2019).

"Update from the General Education Implementation Task Force," with Aaron Putzke, Erica Salkin, and Meredith Shimizu. Keynote presentation for annual Faculty Retreat, Whitworth University, Spokane, WA (Aug. 30, 2018). Presentation of progress on new shared curriculum model and preparation for discussions. Passed with overwhelming faculty support (90%) in Fall 2018.

“The Four Inquiries.” Presentation of proposed general education model to faculty. Whitworth University, Spokane, WA (Mar. 19, 2018). Model ranked 1st or 2nd (of 6 presented models) by more than 80% of gathered faculty.

“Response: Against Eloquence.” President's Colloquy on Civil Discourse, Evening Two: Can We Disagree Without Being Disagreeable? Seeley G. Mudd Chapel, Whitworth University, Spokane, WA. (Feb. 19, 2018). One of three responses to Nathan King’s keynote, “Building Better Discourse.”

"Teaching Demo: Stop with the Green Light" for Visiting High School Counselors ("Counselor's College"), Whitworth University, Spokane, WA (Oct. 19, 2015); for Parents of Prospective Students ("Parent's College"), Whitworth University, Spokane, WA (Mar. 12, 2016; Feb. 17, 2018).

"A Honda Civic on the Narrow Ridge: Liberal Arts, Liturgy, and General Education." Keynote talk for Faculty Development Day, Whitworth University, Spokane, WA (Oct. 27, 2017).

"Why Liberal Arts is the Best Career Preparation," with Kathy Storm. Talk for prospective students and parents ("Admissions Snapshot Event"), Whitworth University, Spokane, WA (Oct. 9, 2017).

“Wrist,” “The Liturgy of Turning Screws,” and "Scenes from the Midcentury Chlorophyll Craze" (poems) at the Westminster Round Off-Campus Reading, Boots Bakery, Spokane, WA (April 7, 2017).

Panel Member, Post-Screening Discussion of Ryan Graves and Kelly McCrillis's Emily, Magic Lantern Theatre, Spokane, WA (Mar. 10, 2017).

Invited Consultant on Preparing Secondary Students for College Writing, Spokane "Bridge to College" Planning Group, The Saranac Building, Spokane, WA (Mar. 3, 2017). A discussion with Language Arts faculty members from three area public high schools.

Panel Member, Pre- and Post-Screening Discussions of Paul Thomas Anderson's adaptation of Thomas Pynchon's Inherent Vice. The 9th Annual Leonard Oakland Film Festival, Whitworth University, Spokane, WA (Feb. 11, 2017).

"Academic Freedom and Trigger Warnings," with Erica Salkin (Communication) and Mark Baird (Psychology). Teaching Roundtable Discussion for Whitworth University Faculty, Whitworth University, Spokane, WA (Oct. 10, 2016).

"How to Get Images to Say Things" for On Track Academy (Alternative High School), Spokane, WA (June 2, 2016). Seminar session for students studying graphic novels.

"Teaching 100-Level Courses: Strategies and Challenges," with Megan Hershey (Political Science), Martha Gady (Mathematics), Karen Peterson-Finch (Theology), and Ben Brody (Music). Teaching Roundtable Discussion for Whitworth University Faculty, Whitworth University, Spokane, WA (Mar. 14, 2016).

“Liberal Arts for Everyone,” with Nicole Sheets (English), Carol Simon (Philosophy), Patty Bruininks (Psychology), and Erica Salkin (Communications). Teaching Roundtable Discussion for Whitworth University Faculty, Whitworth University, Spokane, WA (Feb. 15, 2016).

"Ten Dramatic Scenarios for the North American Possum" (poem) at Poetry and Pie, Mind and Hearth Coffee Shop, Whitworth University, Spokane, WA (November 13, 2015).

Guest Speaker on Harvey Pekar’s American Splendor. Prof. LuElla D’Amico’s “Reading in Action” course (EL 115, Honors). Whitworth University, Spokane, WA (Nov. 2014; Nov. 2015).

“About Possums” and “The Middle Sky” (poems) at the Inland Northwest Faculty Reading, Get Lit! Festival 2015 (Eastern Washington University). Barrister Winery, Spokane, WA (April 26, 2015).

“The George F. Whitworth Honors Program.” Presentation for admitted honors students (and parents) at Whitworth’s Honors Colloquium weekend. Whitworth Univesity, Spokane, WA (Feb. 2014; Mar. 2015).

“Trading on the Bass Line,” “Queen Anne Through and Through,” “Safe as Houses,” and “Sweaty Quarters” (poems) at the Westminster Round Off-Campus Reading, Boots Bakery, Spokane, WA (April 18, 2014).

Faculty Panelist/Respondent, This Whitworth Life (a reading of creative non-fiction organized by Prof. Nicole Sheets). Whitworth University, Spokane, WA (Nov. 2014).

Moderator/Interviewer, Linford Detweiler and Karin Bergquist of Over the Rhine. Whitworth University, Spokane, WA (Nov. 2014).

Facilitator, Discussion of Elizabeth Strout’s Olive Kitteridge. President’s Book Club. Whitworth University, Spokane, WA (Oct. 2014).

“Batman-Bono-Colbert,” with John Pell. Whitworth University Department of English Faculty Scholarship Presentation (for campus community). Whitworth University, Spokane, WA (Oct. 2014).

“Relationship, Trust, and Learning in the Classroom.” Breakout session, with Brooke Kiener. Whitworth University Faculty Retreat, Fall 2014: Teaching with Heart: How Attachment Research Can Support Learning. Keynoted by Kent Hoffman (Gonzaga University). Camp Spalding, Newport, WA (Aug. 2014).

Reading/Discussion of Works in Progress, Prof. Laurie Lamon’s Poetry Writing course (EL 343). Whitworth University, Spokane, WA (April 2014).

“The Kids with Keys” (poem) at the Westminster Round Off-Campus Reading, Holly Mason Rocket Bakery, Spokane, WA (March 7, 2014).

“Designing Resumes.” Resume and cover letter design sessions for Freshman Seminar (GE 125) students (Department of English section), Composition Commons Consultants (2013), and English Senior Portfolio students. 1-3 sessions each Fall. Whitworth University, Spokane, WA (Fall Semesters, 2011 - 2014).

“Inventory” and “Collections” (poems) at Poetry and Pie, Mind and Hearth Coffee Shop, Whitworth University, Spokane, WA (November 7, 2013).

“Blogging for Teaching and Scholarship.” Breakout session, with Jim McPherson. Faculty Development Day, Fall 2011: Technology for Teaching and Learning: Best Practices. Keynoted by Thomas E. Ludwig (Hope College); Whitworth University, Spokane, WA (Nov. 2011).

“Some Easy Slide Designs That Work (PowerPoint Therapy 2).” Teaching Roundtable Discussion for Whitworth University Faculty, Whitworth University, Spokane, WA (Oct. 2010).

“Sharing Culture.” Media Unlimited: Technology, Ethics, and Life at Whitworth in the 21st Century. Panel Discussion. Sponsored by Weyerhaeuser Center for Faith and Learning & The Center for Ethics at Whitworth University. Robinson Teaching Theatre, Whitworth University, Spokane, WA (Mar. 2010).

“A Little PowerPoint Therapy.” Teaching Roundtable Discussion for Whitworth University Faculty, Whitworth University, Spokane, WA (Mar. 2010).

Selected Departmental and University Service

Co-Primary Seeker/Co-Chair, University Provost Search Committee, Whitworth University, Spokane, WA, Fall/Spring 2019-20.

Appointed Member, President’s Task Force on Free Expression and Civil Discourse, Whitworth University, Spokane, WA (2019/20 - 2020/21). Developing a written statement of values and priorities.

Elected Member, University Council, Whitworth University, Spokane WA (2016/17 - 2017/18; 2019/20-2020/21). Whitworth’s primary strategic planning committee; elected to two-year term by vote of faculty assembly. (Second term in conjunction with faculty presidency.)

Member, Leonard Oakland Film Festival Committee, Whitworth University, Spokane, WA (2009/10 - Present).

Judge/Organizer, Whitworth Student Film and Animation Competition, Whitworth University, Spokane, WA (2009/10 - Present).

Member, BestSemester Selection Committee. Reviewing student applications for Whitworth-funded off-campus semesters sponsored by the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities. Whitworth University, Spokane, WA (2013/14 - Present).

Member, Student Learning Outcome Working Group, Department of English, Whitworth University, Spokane, WA (Spring 2019 - Fall 2020). Re-developed departmental learning outcomes and five year assessment plan.

Appointed Member, General Education Implementation Task Force, Whitworth University. (May - Dec. 2018). Refining the "Four Inquiries" general education model ahead of faculty voting. Curriculum adopted with overwhelming faculty support (90%) in Fall 2018.

Primary Seeker/Chair, Faculty Search Committees (Multiple Searches), Whitworth University, Spokane, WA. Program Assistant (English Department), Summer 2018; Assistant Professor of English (Medieval and Early Modern), Fall 2017; Visiting Assistant Professor of English (18th/19th C. American Lit.), Spring 2016; Assistant Professor of English (18th/19th C. American Lit.), Fall 2012; Lecturer in English, Spring 2012.

Faculty Search Committee Member (Multiple Searches), Whitworth University, Spokane, WA. Assistant Professor of English (Fiction Writing) (Ex-Officio Member), Fall 2017; Assistant Professor of English (18th/19th C. British Lit.) (Ex-Officio Member), Spring 2017; Assistant Professor of Art (Graphic Design), Spring 2015; Assistant Professor of Journalism, Fall 2014; Dean of the Library, Spring 2013; Visiting Assistant Professor of Art, Spring 2013; Assistant Professor of Marketing, Spring 2012; Assistant Professor of English (Composition/Rhetoric, Writing Program Dir.), Spring 2012; Assistant Professor of English (Composition/Rhetoric, Writing Center Dir.), Spring 2011; Assistant Professor of English (Composition/Rhetoric, Writing Program Dir.), Spring 2010.

Member, Education Track Working Group, Department of English, Whitworth University, Spokane, WA (Fall 2016 - Fall 2017). Re-developed the education track major in English, in partnership with the School of Education.

Member, US Diversity Working Group, sponsored by the General Education Assessment Task Force, Whitworth University, Spokane, WA (2016/17).

Presenter/Organizer, Honors Program Workshop, with Prof. Doug Sugano. 4-day workshop on pedagogy and course building for the George F. Whitworth Honors Program. Whitworth University, Spokane, WA (June 2012, June 2013, May 2014, May 2015, May 2016, May 2017).

Member, Strategic Plan Review/Recalibration Subcommittee for Goal 5: Elevation of Liberal Arts Education, Whitworth University, Spokane, WA (2015/16). 

Staff Search Committee Member (Multiple Searches), Whitworth University, Spokane, WA. English Department Program Assistant, January 2016; English Department Program Assistant, Spring 2010.

Faculty Sponsor, Westminster Round (English Department Student Organization), Whitworth University, Spokane, WA (2009/10 - 2013/14).

Member, Dean’s Interdisciplinary Studies Planning Group, College of Arts and Sciences, Whitworth University, Spokane, WA (2013/14).

Member, US Cultural Studies Advisory Board (steering committee for the minor), Whitworth University, Spokane, WA (2012/13).

Elected Member, Teaching, Learning, and Assessment Committee (TLAC), Whitworth University, Spokane, WA (2011/12 - 2012/13).

Conference Committee Member, Spokane Intercollegiate Research Conference (SIRC), Whitworth and Gonzaga Universities, Spokane, WA (2010/11 - 2011/12). In addition to regular committee work, moderated three student sessions in 2011. WU liaison for 2012 conference.

Member, New Media Task Force, Whitworth University, Spokane, WA (2008/09, 2010/11, 2011/12). The work of this task force led to the creation of the Film and Visual Narrative minor.

Reviewer, Act Six Scholarship Essays, Whitworth University, Spokane, WA (Jan. 2011).

Faculty Representative, Presidential Planning Commission, Whitworth University, Spokane, WA (2009/10). Group worked to refine the university's long-term goals.

Elected Member, Contract Faculty Merit Committee, Department of English, Ball State University (2007/08).

Undergraduate Studies Committee, Contract Faculty Representative, Department of English, Ball State University (2006/07, 2007/08).

Elected Member, Contract Faculty Steering Committee, Department of English, Ball State University (2005/06, 2006/07, 2007/08).

Freshman Connections Faculty, First Year Undergraduate Experience Program, Ball State University (2005 - 2007).

Judge, Frog Baby Film Festival 2006. Annual student film festival sponsored by Cardinal Filmworks, Ball State University's student-run film production company (Apr. 2006).

Selected Honors/Awards

Kairos Best Webtext Award "Runner Up," for "Perspicuous Objects." (2015)

Innovative Teaching Award, Whitworth University. University-wide award presented to one faculty member each year on the strength of written nominations from faculty. (2010)

Distinguished Dissertation Award, Ball State Alumni Association. Single BSU dissertation selected annually by an intra-university committee of faculty scholars on the basis of originality, significant contribution to knowledge, quality of writing, and potential for publication. (2007)

Ball State University Graduate Fellowship. Awarded annually to approximately 8 of more than 2000 graduate students at BSU. Full tuition and stipend. (Aug. 1998 - Summer 2000)

Current Memberships in Professional Organizations

Modern Language Association. (2002 - present)
National Council of Teachers of English. (2004 - present)
Society for Contemporary Literature. (2017 to Present)
Society for the Study of the American Short Story. (2018 to Present)

Other Notable Events, Presentations, Publications, and Service

“Awe and Vertigo on the Narrow Ridge.” At Our Best: Essays for New Faculty. Ed. Brooke Kiener. Spokane, WA: Whitworth University, 2019. 41-46. An essay exploring Whitworth’s “narrow ridge” metaphor for integration of faith and learning.

Co-coordinator, with Joseph F. Trimmer and James W. Miles. “Virginia B. Ball Center for Creative Inquiry National Showcase” in conjunction with the National Council of Teachers of English Annual Convention, Indiana State Museum, Indianapolis, IN (Nov. 2004). Event featured multimedia projects from the Tell-a-Vision program and from the Virginia Ball Center’s many “creative inquiry” seminars.

“Punch Blindly Like Children” (poetry reading) at the Twentieth Century Literature Conference, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY (Feb. 2002).

Editorial Board Member, Country Feedback Literary Magazine. Muncie and Midwestern art, poetry, stories, and essays, sponsored by a grant from the Indiana Arts Commission (2001).

Organizer, Penscape, bi-annual graduate poetry/prose readings, Ball State University Department of English (1999/00, 2000/01).

Coordinator, Gallery Stage, Circvs 1999 and Circvs 2000. Regional independent music festival (1999, 2000).

Coordinator, Guido’s Coffeehouse series. Monthly readings, musical performances, art exhibits (1998 - 2000).

“Feedback in Muncie.” jar. Nov. 2000. Publication of the Muncie Star Press. Feature on a local literary magazine and interview with editor.

"The Stinkeye Rhymes" (poetry reading) at the Twentieth Century Literature Conference, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY (Feb. 2000).

“Circvs People.” jar. Jan. 2000. Publication of the Muncie Star Press. Feature on local arts and community development.

“America in Art at the Ball State University Museum of Art.” Writer and Editor. Muncie, IN: Ball State University Museum of Art, 2000. Educational materials and activities for elementary classrooms, based on works in the BSU museum of art. 104 pages.

“Native Art of North America in the Ball State University Museum of Art.” Writer and Editor. Muncie, IN: Ball State University Museum of Art, 1999. Educational materials and activities for elementary classrooms, based on works in the BSU museum of art. 43 pages.

“African Art at the Ball State University Museum of Art.” Writer and Editor. Muncie, IN: Ball State University Museum of Art, 1998. Educational materials and activities for elementary classrooms, based on works in the BSU museum of art. 50 pages.