Welcome!
Born and raised in Independence, Missouri, I am an American religious historian who studies Mormons and pilgrimage in contemporary America. Currently, I am a Ballard and Seashore Dissertation Fellow at the University of Iowa where I study under historian T. Dwight Bozeman. I began my career as a high school history teacher and completed a BSE in secondary social studies education from the University of Central Missouri (2001) as well as an MA in history from the University of Missouri-Kansas City (2004). As a teacher, I have experience instructing a wide range of students, from high school sophomores to college seniors. As a researcher and writer, beyond pilgrimage studies, my interests include religion and children, millennialist movements, new religious movements, Puritans, and Native American religions.