Building and expanding knowledge is a calling of sorts for me, one I came to a bit circuitously. My original plan was to have a long, solid career as a civil engineer. For a first generation college student who grew up in the rustbelt city of Pittsburgh, engineering made good sense. However, to paraphrase a common adage, best laid plans often go awry. Once my sociological imagination was awakened, that is once I came to an awareness that how we experience life is in no small part impacted by social forces outside of ourselves, there was no turning back. I knew in my spirit I was to take another path. So, after working professionally as an engineer for four years, I left engineering and pursued a career in sociology. I received my PhD from the University of Illinois at Chicago in sociology. For more than twenty years I have been a professor in the Department of Sociology at The Ohio State University.
My research and intellectual interests focus on the dynamic interplay between religion and race in the contemporary United States - examining how religious institutions and leaders can both reinforce and challenge racial systems and shape the mission and impact of their communities. I have authored numerous articles and books on the topic. I also have had the opportunity to direct or co-direct several funded research projects totaling nearly 1.8 million grant dollars. One of these is a national study of multiracial church pastors called The Religious Leadership and Diversity Project (RLDP). The RLDP is the most in-depth, comprehensive project ever conducted on leaders of multiracial congregations. In addition to conducting research, I am an active member of the academy serving in multiple roles including President of the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion (SSSR), an international, interdisciplinary association, Editor-in-Chief for the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion (JSSR), and President-Elect of the Association for the Sociology of Religion. I am also a Big Ten Academic Alliance-Academic Leadership Program (BTAA-ALP) Fellow, served as an associate dean in the College of Arts and Sciences, and am a Faculty Fellow in the Office of Faculty Affairs at The Ohio State University.
Ultimately, my greatest desire from the beginning of this journey has been that my scholarship has helpful and practical implications for churches and their leaders. I am exceedingly grateful for the opportunities I have had to connect my scholarship and faith.
My research and intellectual interests focus on the dynamic interplay between religion and race in the contemporary United States - examining how religious institutions and leaders can both reinforce and challenge racial systems and shape the mission and impact of their communities. I have authored numerous articles and books on the topic. I also have had the opportunity to direct or co-direct several funded research projects totaling nearly 1.8 million grant dollars. One of these is a national study of multiracial church pastors called The Religious Leadership and Diversity Project (RLDP). The RLDP is the most in-depth, comprehensive project ever conducted on leaders of multiracial congregations. In addition to conducting research, I am an active member of the academy serving in multiple roles including President of the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion (SSSR), an international, interdisciplinary association, Editor-in-Chief for the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion (JSSR), and President-Elect of the Association for the Sociology of Religion. I am also a Big Ten Academic Alliance-Academic Leadership Program (BTAA-ALP) Fellow, served as an associate dean in the College of Arts and Sciences, and am a Faculty Fellow in the Office of Faculty Affairs at The Ohio State University.
Ultimately, my greatest desire from the beginning of this journey has been that my scholarship has helpful and practical implications for churches and their leaders. I am exceedingly grateful for the opportunities I have had to connect my scholarship and faith.