I am the Director of the Appalachian Regional & Rural Studies Center at Radford University in Radford, VA. In addition to teaching Appalachian Studies classes focused on matters ranging from historical to contemporary times, I teach Appalachian literature for the English Department and a place-based education class for the Ed.D. program. Though trained in the humanities initially and later in the social sciences, I harbor a great love of the natural world and have taught myself about identifications through field guides and videos, as well as by accompanying biology colleagues on field trips. Wildflowers are my passion, as well as snakes, lizards, and turtles.