It was an honor to receive  the 2021 Appalachian State University W.H. Plemmons Leadership Medallion, in recognition of campus leadership for students. This medallion is named in honor of App State’s second president, Dr. William H. Plemmons. The award recognizes the time, energy, skills and commitment of students, faculty, student affairs educators and staff who exceed their peers in providing leadership that enriches the quality of student life and advances the education of students at App State. Much of my work recognized for this award is related to university housing and the Active Living residential  learning community.  I am grateful for the opportunity to serve students, both in and outside the classroom.

My recent research project "Blame, then shame? Psychological predictors in cancel culture behavior" has been published in The Social Science Journal.  “If accused, must apologize immediately” was the key significant predictor of overall involvement in cancel culture. Those who demand an apology are more likely to be politically liberal and identify with feminine gender traits. There is an association among a need to know more about a person’s character before making judgment; requiring debate among diverse perspectives; then forgiving those who learn from mistakes. Those who do choose to ‘cancel’ want an apology, then decide to assess personal character for those who commit immoral, illegal or unethical acts. There is a call for accountability, with the understanding society needs a social consensus on moral behavior. 

How can we support and assist students, who are navigating this difficult and unpredictable environment? My paper "Development and Testing of the University Student Resilience Scale" has been published in the Journal of American College Health.  University students are most resilient by relying on friends and family, seeing adversity as a learning opportunity, and helping themselves by helping others. The most highly correlated measures are “positive attitude” and “open mind” while “faith in a higher power” holds a negative relationship with “being responsible for my own problems.” Regression analysis indicates a strong will, not giving up, and maintaining an open mind are predictors of resilience. A 3-factor structural model captures the latent dimensions “Infinite Possibilities,” “Like a Rock” and “Surrounded by Love.”  

"Rebooting Jesus" is now on Amazon in paperback and Kindle digital versions. When you're writing about one's life journey through Christianity, there will never be a definitive ending. This is my version of a Freethinker's Guide, surely not prescriptive but instead an open invitation to embrace the messy, painful and sometimes shocking journey into Yahweh Eternal Creator. Destruction, genocide, murder. Then without logic, the loving lamb called The Christ, who is brutally executed as an insurrectionist. I'm still hanging onto the faith. Some days are better than others. Is God "love?" Read my book, take the holistic view, I'd like your feedback.

I have been privileged to serve on the board of advisors for Journal of Gender Studies. My lead editorial on understanding gender perceptions and identities within a modern corporate marketing context was published in a recent issue. There are opportunities to link corporate marketing with gender studies researchers; to see the sale of products and services in a broader context across consumer groups.

A portion of my work investing in "social good" has been focused on energy conservation. I was a research associate with Appalachian State's Center for Analytics Research and Education (CARE) and have published on messaging that affects use of peak power - which is dirty and expensive.