Faculty Bios

"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct thy paths." (Proverbs 3:5-6). "Many are called and few are chosen." "To whom much is given, much is required."

These words have guided me for many years. Our Father continues to teach and remind me about the importance of surrender. As a little girl, I often heard my grandma sing the tune: "Trust and obey, for there's no other way, to be happy with Jesus, but to trust and obey." This is the story of my life and my desire to follow God all the days of my life.

Since childhood, I have known I would be a counselor and teacher. My dad shares that I often sat my elementary school friends down in our yard and "taught" school. My mom shares that I sat my dolls and teddy bears down and led group counseling sessions. In my latter years, I bonded with a High School Guidance Counselor, Rebecca Clark Smith, and decided that I wanted to do what she did. "I want to positively impact the lives of others the way she is impacting mine," I remember thinking. Thereafter, I was off pursuing a college education that would aid in the attainment of my goal.

After obtaining my Bachelor of Arts from Syracuse University, I knew two things; I wanted to go "all the way right away" and obtain the Masters and Doctoral degree successively. I also wanted to obtain a Christian education as I honed in my area of study. As a result, I was blessed with the opportunity to get a Masters of Arts in Community Counseling and Specialty in Marriage in Family Therapy at Andrews University (AU). I remember sitting the Introduction to Counseling class at AU and experiencing my professor beginning class with prayer. I exhaled and smiled, thanking God for such grace. At the University of Central Florida where I received my Ph.D., I was blessed with the opportunity of a dynamic cohort. These journey companions were a wonderful group of individuals to experience the rigors and challenges of such an important, final leg of my academic journey. Now, they are my colleagues with whom I connect regularly for professional, spiritual, and social interaction.

I have a passion for healthy marriages and families. I believe in the ability to have satisfying marriages and dynamic families. When I look at the current state of our marriages and families, my heart grieves at the imbalance. I yearn for the world's realization of what God intended for His children in the Garden of Eden before the fall. I believe it is possible to change this world, one person, marriage, and family at a time. I am grateful for the opportunity afforded by Regent University to support the training of budding Clinicians with a strong desire to support clients from a Christian perspective.

I often share with others that I became a counselor because I was called to the field. God, as the divine Counselor, is my example as I provide service to others. I tap into and connect with Him in all areas of my life. I was called to this field to serve others using the gifts God endowed me with. Teaching and Counseling come effortlessly to me because they were predestined. I am among those most richly blessed to connect with wonderful colleagues and students while doing what I love. I remain ever grateful.