Research
I received my Ph.D. in School Psychology from Illinois State University in 2010. I am an Associate Professor in the School Psychology Program at Mississippi State University. I teach in the Department of Counseling, Higher Education Leadership, Educational Psychology, and Foundations - that's CHEF, for short.
I have an active research lab named R2 (Representation Research), where students and I spend our time working toward representation in the field of school psychology and equitable school psychology practices. In addition, I am a Nationally Certified School Psychologist. Across my training career, I have maintained my school psychology practice in area school districts, typically providing assessment and consultation services every school year.
In addition to my active professional life, I have a busy personal life full of outdoor adventures. My passion is cycling of almost any kind. I enjoy getting on my road bike as much as time allows, and I usually get in at least a few organized century rides (100 miles) every year. I also try to do charity events like Bike MS. My most recent bike purchase was a Salsa Warbird gravel bike. So far it's given me the experience I'd dreamed it would, allowing me to take on pavement, dirt, and gravel in the same ride. That doesn't mean I don't need another bike, however. The established formula for how many bikes one should have is n + 1, where n represents the number of bikes one currently has.
Another great joy is my wiener dog, Lucky. He is truly enigmatic. Lucky appears to hate going anywhere and doing anything; yet, he demands that I take him along. Thus, he hikes, takes boat rides, floats in the lake, and attends the occasional thesis defense or class. His favorite things to hate are going to the post office, stopping at Casey's Convenience Store, and hitting the drive-thru for chicken nuggets. Lucky is by far the strangest creature I've ever known. Having him in my life has made me weirder, and my life immensely more interesting.