A native of Appalachia, I am currently a PhD candidate. My primary area of study concerns fraternal organizations during periods of social and political upheaval. My dissertation is entitled "Peaceableness & Loyalty:" North Carolina Freemasonry During the Revolutionary War. I am a firm proponent of making history accessible to the general public and often present on historical topics for civic organizations, fraternal groups, and at historic sites.

Catawba College, Salisbury NC. B.A, History, August 2010- May 2014
East Tennessee State University. M.A, American History. January 2014-May, 2016.
Mississippi State University, PhD Candidate, Early American History. (ABD) January 2017- Present.

Intern, Smith-McDowell House Museum, Asheville NC, 2008-2010
Intern, Vance Birthplace State Historic Site, Weaverville NC, 2010-2013
Graduate Research Assistant to Dr. Daryl Carter, East Tennessee State University, January - May 2014.
Graduate Teaching Assistant, East Tennessee State University, August 2014- May 2016.
Courses: Early US History
Seasonal Interpretive Ranger, Sycamore Shoals State Historic Park, Elizabethton, TN. May -August 2016.
Graduate Teaching Assistant, Mississippi State University. January 2017 - May 2018.
Courses: Modern US History
Graduate Research Assistant to Dr. Courtney Thompson, Mississippi State University. May -August 2018.
Graduate Teaching Assistant, Mississippi State University. December 2018- May 2021
Courses: Early US History, Modern US History, Modern Western World
Executive Director. Historic Crab Orchard Museum & Pioneer Park. Tazewell, Virginia. January 6, 2020- August 7, 2020 (Position Terminated due to Covid-19 Pandemic).
Lecturer. Mississippi State University. July, 2021-August, 2021.
Courses: World History Since 1500

Selected Presentations & Conferences
Loyalism in the Carolinas During the American Revolution, Ohio Valley History Conference, Austin-Peay University. October 17-18, 2014
Freemasonry During the Civil War, Phi Alpha Theta Regional Conference. February 2015
The Battle of Moore’s Creek Bridge, Appalachian Student Research Forum. April 8. 2015
A Short History of Anti-Masonry. Ohio Valley History Conference. East Kentucky University. October 1-3, 2015.
Evolution of the Firelock: From the Matchlock through the Percussion Cap. History at Home Interpretive Programs. Sycamore Shoals State Historic Park. August 16, August 24, August 26, 2016.
Light in the Wilderness: Religion on the Colonial and Revolutionary Frontier. History at Home Interpretive Programs. Sycamore Shoals State Historic Park. August 16, 2016.
The Brown Bess Musket. History at Home Interpretive Programs. Sycamore Shoals State Historic Park. August 17, August 19, 2016.
The Long Hunt: A Presentation on the Earliest Settlers and Explorers of Early Appalachia. History at Home Interpretive Programs. Sycamore Shoals State Historic Park. August 18, 2016.
The Revolutionary War Loyalist: A First Person Living History Presentation of Those Who Remained Loyal to England During the American Revolution. History at Home Interpretive Programs. Sycamore Shoals State Historic Park. August 20, August 27, 2016.
For the Old Union: The Unionists of East Tennessee During the Civil War. History at Home Interpretive Programs. Sycamore Shoals State Historic Park. August 21, 2016.
Life at Fort Watauga During the American Revolution. History at Home Interpretive Programs. Sycamore Shoals State Historic Park. August 25, 2016.
Breaking Down the Loneliness: The Grange As Part of the Golden Age of American Fraternalism, Southern Forum on Agricultural, Rural, and Environmental History. University of Tennessee. April 27-28, 2018.

Publications
“Meeting on the Level, Parting on the Square: A History of Asheville’s Masonic Lodges”, Western North Carolina Historical Association, July/August 2010. p.3.
Women in the 1929 Textile Strikes in Elizabethton, Tennessee and Gastonia, North Carolina. East Tennessee State University. May, 2016. (Master’s Thesis)

Guest Lectures
The Anti-Masonic Party and its Effects on American Masonry. Early US Political History. Course Taught by Dr. Mayo-Bobee. East Tennessee State University. Spring 2015.
Spanish & French Colonization. American History to 1877. Course Taught by Dr. Steve Nash. East Tennessee State University. Spring 2015.
The American Revolution. American History to 1877. Course Taught by Dr. Steve Nash. East Tennessee State University. Spring 2015.
The Napoleonic Wars. Modern Western World. Course Taught by Dr. Alexandra Hui. Mississippi State University. Spring 2019.
The American War of Independence. Early US History. Course Taught by Dr. Joseph Thompson.  Mississippi State University. Spring 2019.

Grants:
Historic Crab Orchard Museum Renovations. Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority. Submitted May 18, 2020. Amount Awarded: $100,000.*
• While executive director at Historic Crab Orchard Museum I also assisted the museum’s financial officer in securing funds from the Payroll Protection Plan and helped to secure municipal funding for the museum.

Fellowships, Certifications & Awards
Jarrell First Family Scholarship, Catawba College, Salisbury, NC, 2010-2013
Tuition Scholar. East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN 2013-2016
First Place, Oral Presentations, Arts & Humanities. Appalachian Student Research Forum. April 8, 2015. Presentation: The Battle of Moore’s Creek Bridge.

Phi Alpha Theta, National History Honor Society, Alpha Epsilon-Epsilon Chapter
Sons of the American Revolution, Blue Ridge Chapter, Asheville, NC
Western North Carolina Historical Association, Asheville, NC.
North Carolina Museums Council, Past Member
Upper Broad Regiment, Revolutionary War Loyalist Living History Interpreters