Professional Bio

Degrees

  • PhD in Religious Studies (Religion, Ethics and Philosophy), Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, 2009
  • Master of Arts, Philosophy of Religion, Denver Seminary, Denver, CO, 1995
  • Master of Arts in Counseling, Colorado Christian University, Lakewood, CO, 1990
  • Bachelor of Science in Speech/English Education, Trevecca Nazarene University, Nashville, TN, 1988

Professional Memberships

  • American Academy of Religion
  • British Wittgenstein Society
  • Society of Biblical Literature
  • Golden Key International Honour Society

Academic & Professional Experience

  • Regis University, Denver, CO:
    • Associate Professor, College for Professional Studies, Liberal Arts Department, Religion and Philosophy courses, 2011-present
    • Adjunct Instructor, Regis College, Religious Studies, 2011-present
    • Affiliate Faculty, Liberal Arts Department, College for Professional Studies, 2004-2011
  • University of Colorado, Lecturer, Department of Religious Studies and Global Studies Residential Academic program, Boulder, CO, 2010-2011
  • University of Denver, Denver, CO:
    • Scholar-in-Residence for Holocaust Awareness, The Center for Judaic Studies, 2007-2009
    • Lecturer, Department of Philosophy, 2008
  • Colorado Christian University, Associate Professor of Philosophy and Theology, Department of Theology, Lakewood, CO, 2002-2007
  • Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL:
    • Instructor, Religious Studies, 2001-2002
    • Graduate Teaching Assistant, 2000-2002
  • Colorado Christian University, Lakewood, CO:
    • Assistant Professor of Philosophy and Theology, Department of Theology, 1993-1998
    • Instructor, Department of Theology, 1990-1993

Research & Scholarship

Presentations and Papers

  • “The Ruptured Self: War, Psychic Trauma, and the Promise of Narrative Repair.” Paper presented at the Society of Biblical Literature, Annual Meeting, Atlanta, GA, 2010.
  • “Enhancing the Quality of Life.” Invited Lecture: Rocky Vista University, College of Osteopathic Medicine, Parker, CO, 2009.
  • “Re-inscribing Felicity Through Taboo: Train of Life, Speech Acts, and Jewish Identity.” Paper presented at the Western Jewish Studies Association, Denver, CO, 2009.
  • The Seriously Funny Decalogue: Humor and Jewish Culture. Invited Panelist: 10 Judaic Studies Theorists in Conversation. Sponsored by the University of Denver and The Center for Judaic Studies, Denver, CO, 2009.
  • “Putting Freud on Levinas’ Couch: Why Infinity Matters.” Paper presented to the Denver Psychoanalytic Society and the Graduate School for Social Work at the University of Denver, Denver, CO, 2009.
  • No Podemos Olvidar (“We Cannot Forget”). Interview Subject: Univision Colorado (Televised November 11-12, 2008) Denver, CO, 2009
  • “The Laughter is on our Side: Human as Resistance is Mihaileanu’s Train of Life.” Keynote Presentation: Yom HaShoah Program, Vail, CO, 2008.
  • “The Truth in Pictures: Ethical and Conceptual Challenges in Henryk Ross’ Lodz Ghetto Photographs.” Invited Lecture: Mizel Musuem, Denver, CO, 2008.
  • “Radicalizing Wittgenstein: Reading Him Against the Grain of Posliberal Theology.” Paper presented at the AAR/SBL/ASOR/RMGP Regional Meeting, Denver, CO, 2008.
  • “Speaking Silence: The Ethics of Elie Wiesel’s, Night.” Invited Lecture: The Richman Study Group, Denver, CO, 2008.
  • Theater and Theology Talk-Back with the cast of The Diary of Anne Frank. Invited Participant: Sponsored by the Rocky Mountain Synod at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Denver, CO, 2007.
  • “Picking Up the Pieces: Ethical Response as Kristallnacht Memorial.”  Keynote Presentation for Children of Kristallnacht: A Program of Memory and Reflection. Sponsored by the University of Denver’s Center for Judaic Studies, BMH-BJ Congregation and Mizel Museum, Denver, CO, 2007.
  • “Idolatry and Magic: Using Wittgenstein to Break the Spell of Metaphysics.” AAR/SBL/ASOR/RMGP Regional Meeting, Omaha, NE, 2007.
  • “Laugher and Remembrance: Train of Life as Fulfillment of the 614th Commandment.” Paper presented American Academy of Religion, Southeastern Region, Atlanta, GA, 2002.

Publications

  • “Reversing Fortune: War, Psychic Trauma, and the Promise of Narrative Repair,” in Exile, Displacement, and Deportation in Biblical and Modern Contexts: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on War-Related Phenomena, eds. Brad E. Kelle and Frank Ritchel Ames (Atlanta, GA: Society of Biblical Literature Press), 2011.
  • “Hazarding Hope: A Philosophical Reflection on Hope’s Possibility,” Colorado Symphony Orchestra Publication, April 2008.

Community Involvement & Service

Regis University Service

  • Dean for the School of Humanities & Social Sciences, Search Committee, 2011-2012
  • Assistant Dean for the School of Humanities & Social Sciences, Search Committee, 2011-2012
  • Instructional Designer for Learning Design, Search Committee, 2011-2012
  • Faculty for the School of Management, Search Committee, 2011-2012
  • D2L Implementation Team, 2011-2013
  • Ignatian Faculty Scholars Program, 2011-present