I consider myself a rhetorical critic, theorist, and teacher. Since finishing graduate work in literature and rhetoric in 2002, I have explored the interaction of style and argumentation, of the poetic and the rhetorical, and the ways we might analyze them. My research includes theoretical pieces and analyses of texts, particularly epideictic discourse, where the poetic and rhetorical inextricably intertwine. Over the past five years I have been actively involved with the Public Address division of the National Communication Association, the division devoted to the analysis of rhetorical texts in their contexts and am the Sponsor of Trinity's chapter of Lamda Pi Eta, the National Communication Association's undergraduate honors society.

My scholarly activities nurture the many courses I teach in rhetorical theory and criticism in the department. Guiding my instruction in communication is an abiding belief that teaching should foster an appreciation for the verbally textured nature of culture. I try to cultivate in students a comprehension of how language is not simply a tool but the means by which we piece together a reality that is as welcoming or threatening as the language that constitutes it. In a typical year at Trinity, I will teach six different courses, ranging from Rhetorical Criticism to Argumentation. Although my courses average about 16 students, I try to maintain an interactive teaching style that brings added life to the words we read and the ideas we contemplate. Nicely complementing each other, the classes in rhetoric in our department provide students with a rich understanding of the rhetorical tradition, the theories of rhetoric, the criticism of rhetorical texts, and the skills of reading, thinking, writing, and speaking with sensitivity to real or ideal audiences.