I was born and raised in the Chicago suburbs, and moved to Texas after graduating with a BA in Rhetoric from the University of Illinois. After four years in Austin, I moved west for my PhD in English at the University of Nevada. While teaching courses in several disciplines, I developed a fascination with human inquiry and the processes of knowledge-making, leading to my dissertation on research practices in composition and rhetoric.
As Editor for Composition Studies, I aim to promote ongoing dialogue and research related to my discipline. To that end, Margaret Strain (U. Dayton) and I have established the Rhetoric and Composition Sound Archives (RCSA), an interview and oral history center dedicated to preserving the voices of scholars central to the development of the field.
My other academic work has been motivated by a desire to illuminate the struggles of individuals who attempt to persuade challenging audiences. Last year I published a book about academic freedom and protest during the Vietnam era (Radicals, Rhetoric, and the War), and I'm currently working on a multi-site study of the rhetorical dynamics of empathy and rapport.
