I am a newly minted PhD from Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary (Evanston, IL) where I completed my dissertation: Making it Out of "Da Hood": A Phenomenological Perspective of Resiliency and Spirituality Among African American Adolescents and Young Adults. It is a qualitative ethnographic study of African American young adults who participated in a college readiness program all four of high school and were required to attend spiritual retreats. My study focuses on the reflection of the alumni of the program who are now young adults and how they share how the spiritual retreats transformed their lives during their teenage years.
I am currently Adjunct Faculty at North Park University and Theological Seminary where I teach for the Center for Youth Ministry and Christian Formation courses at the seminary. I also work for University of Notre Dame's Mendoza School of Business in the Student Services/Admissions department where I assist EMBA/MSF/MSBA graduate level business students. I formerly was Adjunct Faculty for United Theological Seminary (Dayton, OH) where I taught Black and Womanist Theology and African American Church online courses.
I have been called the "Urban Theologian" because I have a passion for urban ministry. I have a Certificate in Faith Based Community Development from Harvard Divinity, where I participated in the Summer Leadership Institute. I completed my MTS from Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary, where my thesis project “A Light in the City: A Case Study of a Model Urban Church Ministry to the Poor – Fourth Presbyterian Church of Chicago in relation to Cabrini-Green Public Housing Project’s Residents” was an ethnographic study where I focused on the displacement of public housing residents and how a local church provided ministry through the theological lens of the Good Samaritan parable.
I completed my M.Div and MACE from North Park Theological Seminary where I focused on urban ministry and adolescent development/youth ministry.
Before all my theological education, I was an Architectural Engineer where I designed and managed the construction of many prominent buildings in Chicago - White Sox Park, United Center (Bulls Stadium), Soldier Field Renovation (Chicago Bears), Shedd Aquarium Oceanarium, McDonald's University, McCormick Place Expansion, O'Hare International Terminal 5, and many other projects in other states and countries.