I started my career instructing at a community college in Arizona after completing my bachelor’s degree in clinical health fitness from Central Michigan University and my master’s degree in exercise and nutrition science from Lipscomb University. I absolutely loved teaching, but the position was far from my family, so I moved back to Michigan. I was happy to be back in the Midwest, but I wanted to get back into teaching in higher education as soon as possible. I was able to land a few adjunct roles, but I soon realized that I needed to pursue a doctorate to open more doors and obtain a full-time position again. So, I enrolled at Concordia University Chicago to pursue a PhD in Health and Human Performance, and with it being a hybrid program, I also worked in corporate wellness, at a clinical exercise facility and obtained a full-time teaching position while completing my dissertation. After three years in my previous teaching role, I came to Michigan State in the fall of 2024 to work with the incredible faculty, staff, and students in the Department of Kinesiology.
My Role in SCLA
I develop and instruct coursework within the strength and conditioning concentration of SCLA graduate programs and advise students who seek career opportunities as strength and conditioning coaches.
My Courses
The strength & conditioning concentration will fully launch in the fall of 2025 and we are still finalizing course offerings and their corresponding course numbers. Here is a list of what I will oversee:
- KIN 815A Essentials of Strength and Conditioning Part 1
- KIN 815B Essentials of Strength and Conditioning Part 2
- KIN 856 Physical Bases of Coaching
- KIN 8xx Advanced Sports Nutrition
- KIN 8xx Inquiry and Skepticism in Sport Science
My Areas of Research
This is tough to narrow down since I am interested in many aspects of kinesiology, but my research interests broadly focus on physical improvements for athletes, general, and specific populations, along with how specific nutrition strategies can assist with these goals. More specifically, I continue to investigate how to improve numerous athletic attributes using no or minimal equipment to help underfunded individuals and teams with their training goals and help level the playing field when competing.
Fun Fact
I never thought teaching in higher education was going to be my career path, I was solely focused on becoming a strength and conditioning coach. But my advisor in graduate school recommended I look into it more since I enjoyed public speaking, especially when it comes to everything exercise and nutrition. I love coaching and working with people, but teaching has always been my favorite path of my career.