I teach and serve as the Director of Graduate Programs in the Department of Agricultural and Human Sciences at NC State University.

Each fall, I teach our human sexuality summer course, where I work with students to investigate the diverse social, cultural, and political landscapes of sexuality in the U.S.  This course also can count towards the graduate minor in women’s and gender studies. Find out more about that graduate minor here.

I also also teach a course in research proposal development each summer, for thesis or dissertation students who want to take an intensive writing course that moves their research proposal and IRB submissions forward. Additionally, starting in the Fall of 2024, I will teach a graduate seminar for all incoming PhD students in our department, focused on the foundational theories and practices in our department’s agricultural and human sciences disciplines. In the past, I have taught courses in advanced qualitative methods, family relationships over the lifecourse, and complex family issues.

I’ve also taught or co-taught (with Jessica Williams) our program’s internship course several times. I love working with students to find and harness their passions, to think critically about how what we learn shapes who we are and what we do, and to empower them in their world-changing work.

I advise MS and PhD students in our program, and mentor graduate students on many of my research projects.  Students I work with are focusing on topics like: religiosity and resilience among GLBTQ+ people of color, parenting children on the autism spectrum, grief and loss in parenting, intimate partner violence, and resilience and hope among families living in poverty.  In addition to working closely with my advisees, I also serve on doctoral committees for students across the university, in the areas of food and nutrition, sociology, gender studies, and adult education and leadership.