Biography

I received my BA in philosophy at Grand Valley State University (Grand Rapids, MI) and my MA in philosophy from Colorado State University (Fort Collins, CO).  In both cases, my emphasis of study was Eastern Philosophy, particularly Buddhism.  In my graduate studies, I spent much of my time on Political Philosophy as well as Linguistics and Ethics.  I am still interested in all of these topics and continue my own research on them.  I have been a substitute teacher in the Anchorage School District for over ten years and I have taught snowboarding for over a decade and a half.  I have been a guide for various outdoor activities in Valdez, Girdwood, and Anchorage.  I am inspired by the natural history and ecology of this state as well as its exceptional opportunities for mountain biking and world class snowboarding.

Over the last few years, I have developed a few new online courses, Introduction to Logic and Introduction to Philosophy, and began splitting my time between teaching online and in the classroom. This has allowed me to further cultivate my appreciation for the excellent opportunities to mountain bike and snowboard up here. More recently, I have begun to draw all of my various strings of research in Buddhist Epistemology together for a presentation I will give at the Eastern Division of the American Philosophy Association's annual meeting in Washington D.C. from January 6th-9th, 2016. Though this will cut into snowboard time a little bit, I'm certainly looking forward to the experience.