I was born in Charleston, SC and grew up in Bennettsville, SC. From middle school on, my career aspiration was to be a US Air Force fighter pilot, but that goal changed the summer before my senior year at St. Andrews University (Laurinburg, NC). That summer, rather than my usual employment in the fast food industry, I participated in an undergraduate research program in chemistry at the University of Tennessee. The experience was a real life-changer, and I subsequently attended UT after graduating St. Andrews. Following receipt of a Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry, I accepted a one-year post-doctoral appointment with Los Alamos National Laboratories, during which time I found myself on the other side of an undergraduate research experience as I mentored a student involved in a summer program much like the one that had altered my career plan. This served to direct my attention towards academia, and I joined the faculty at UNCP the following year, where I enjoy the privilege of teaching chemistry to undergraduate students in both traditional classroom and laboratory settings as well as through the conduct of scientific research.

Aside from continuing to learn more about chemical science ("life-long learning" is not just a catch phrase!), my teaching assignments at UNCP have taught me much about the nature of student learning. Though there are many aspects of the process that are beyond the control of anyone other than the student, a professor does have the ability to positively impact certain facets of the experience, and the potential benefit to the student makes all attempts well worth the effort.

Based on feedback from past class members, I believe my enthusiasm for science, the well-organized structures of my courses, my availability outside of standard class and lab meeting times, and my adherence to high but realistic standards for achievement are appreciated by most students.

As you might guess from the biography above, I believe that engaging in the conduct of science (that is, performing scientific research) is the very best way to learn the discipline and develop intellectually, and that there's no better environment for this activity than the one here at UNCP. With well-equipped laboratories and a student-focused faculty, our science departments can provide undergraduate research experiences that are about as good as they get!