Beyond Belief
The Power of Transformation
I spent 17 years in active addiction and would ultimately become homeless before entering recovery in 2013. Since then, I have earned my master’s of theology degree in 2018 and in 2022 earned my Ph.D. in Business Management with a specialization in Leadership. I have been the pastor at Asbury UMC since 2019 and currently serve as Executive Director of Workforce Education at Campbellsville University. In 2022 I was appointed to the Kentucky Opioid Abatement Commission by the KY Attorney General and serve as board member for Hometown Connect, a local nonprofit focused on making addiction treatment accessible for all.
My research interests focus on the positive qualities found in people with substance use disorder. The goal of my work is to change how people view addiction. Instead of looking at addiction as a character deficit or moralistic failure, we can best understand addiction through understanding ourselves. The driving force behind our thinking and behavioral patterns can be positioned to positively impact everyone around us. People in recovery don't lose their superpowers, we just stop using them for crappy reasons!