Political and religious conflict have always drawn my attention. My graduate work in United States history focused on books, speeches, and laws written by strident ideological advocates. In my professional career, I've examined the U.S. Constitution as a battle ground for contests between liberals and conservatives. Such “interminable moral conflict,” as Alasdair McIntyre called it, structured my 2017 book with Cambridge University Press.

 

No longer do I wish only to analyze ideological discord; I desire as well to help mitigate it. My desire for this was whetted by my involvement with an organization that performs such work in a political context, and through my participation in a group that conducts open-hearted public conversations.

 

Workshops that I facilitated in fall 2017 confirmed for me that my scholarship must be wedded to civic activism. The research project I now envision will allow me to partner with community groups ready to help heal political discord in innovative ways.

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Most of my career has been spent teaching college students, particularly in the areas of history and writing. Over the past two years, I have taught students and tutored clients from sixth grade through career professional. By helping ordinary people attain fluency in writing and reading, I equip them to revision the world.

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I have the world's greatest wife and son. And we three are blessed to live in Seattle, Washington.