Education
- Ph.D. in English and Higher Education, University of Kansas
- M.A. in English, Iowa State University
- B.A. in English, Biology, and Secondary Education, Drury College
Selected Publications
- “The Need for World War II Literature in the Young Adult Classroom.' 13th Hawaii International Conference Proceedings. 2015. CD-ROM.
- “Hawthorne in Eden.” 2015 Hawaii University International Conference on Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences, & Education 2015. CD-ROM.
- “The Farm” (poem), Cave Region Review, Vol. 6, 2014.
- “Does a Need for Values-Based Literature Still Exist in the Changing Nature of Young Adult Literature?” The Atrium, a Journal of Academic Voices, Fall 2013.
- “Canned Beans, the Telephone Company, and Tithe.” College Faith Vol. 3, 2006.
Selected Presentations
- College English Association National Conference, Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, 2016 — "From the Northern Island of Prince Edward Island, Canada, to the Tropical Islands of the Bahamas and Hawaii"
- Hawaii International Conference on Arts & Humanities, Honolulu, Hawaii, 2015.'The Need for World War II Literature in the Young Adult Classroom'
- Hawaii University International Conference on Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences, & Education, Honolulu, Hawaii, 2015—“Hawthorne in Eden”
- College English Association National Conference, Savannah, Georgia, 2013—"Does a Need for Values-Based Literature Still Exist in the Changing Nature of Young Adult Literature?”
- College English Association National Conference, St. Petersburg, Florida, 2011-“A Taste of Fortune in ‘The Necklace’ and ‘A Rose for Emily,’ with a little flavoring of Canterbury Tales Thrown in”
- Festival of Faith & Writing, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2010—“Joy, Heartache, and Friendship: The Place of Romance and Sisterhood Novels in Christian Fiction”
- College English Association National Conference, St. Louis, Missouri, 2008—“Circumstances of War: the Disruptions Caused by War on Life’s Passages, as revealed in Farewell to Manzanar”
Related Experience
- Session Moderator, Hawaii University International Conference on Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences, and Education—2015
- Session Moderator, College English Association National Conference—2011
- Judge, Polk Co. Language Arts Fair-2007-present
- Scholastic Books Advisory Panel—2008-2012
- Text reviewer for Merrill/Prentice-Hall--2006
- ACFI Regional (multi-state) Creative Writing Contest, Judge—2006
- Reviewer, Middle School English/Language Arts & English 9-12 Education State Competencies for the Educational Development Project sponsored by the Missouri Department of Elementary & Secondary Education and the Missouri Advisory Council for Certification & Education--2004
Professional Organizations
- College English Association
- LADD (Language Arts Dept. of Southwest MO), 2000-2006
- Board of Directors
Honors and Awards
- Who's Who Among America's Teachers — 2002, 2004
- Who's Who in American Education — 1989-90
Church/Community Service
- Attends First Baptist Church, Bolivar
- Choir member
- Bible study pianist
- Volunteer assistant to food services director
- Core Group substitute teacher