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Education has been a defining thread throughout my life.

Before becoming a published author, I spent more than two decades as a public-school teacher. Over the years, my work expanded beyond the classroom into curriculum development, literacy, reading instruction, and eventually teaching and preparing future educators.

My own education reflects that same commitment to learning. I earned a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from Black Hills State University in 1997, followed by a Master of Science in Curriculum and Instruction in 2002. In 2008, I earned my Doctor of Education in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of South Dakota, and later completed additional preparation as a Reading Specialist through the University of Sioux Falls.

Throughout my career, I have taught courses in reading, literacy, instructional methods, curriculum mapping, and related areas at both the K–12 and university levels, including work with Grand Canyon University.

Long before I thought of myself as an author, writing was already an important part of my professional life. Graduate studies, curriculum development, teaching materials, research, and eventually my doctoral dissertation all required me to take complex ideas and organize them in ways that others could understand and use.

I did not know at the time how valuable those skills would become in a very different kind of writing.

My path to publishing grew from an unexpected collaboration with Annette Faith Bifulco. We met through an anxiety program developed by therapist Rex Briggs. As Rex prepared to retire, Annie and I began exploring how the principles of that established program could be paired with Scripture and presented from a Christ-centered perspective.

My background in curriculum, teaching, and technical writing complemented Annie’s experience with the program, ministry, and mental health-related work. Together, we developed Empowering the Warrior Within: Using the Word to Win the War on Anxiety.

That project brought together several parts of my life that once seemed unrelated, education, writing, personal experience, and faith.

Since then, my writing has continued to grow in new directions. I am increasingly drawn to stories of faith, family legacy, memories, and the wisdom we carry from one generation to the next.

The subject matter may change, but something important remains the same.

As a teacher, my goal was never simply to deliver information. I wanted people to understand, grow, and carry something useful with them. I find myself approaching writing in much the same way.

Whether I am writing about anxiety, faith, family history, or lessons found in everyday life, I hope the words leave the reader with something worth remembering, something that encourages, strengthens, or helps them see their own story a little differently.