I am a professor at Texas State University, where I have taught since 2004. I am certified in Texas as a middle and secondary English Language Arts and Reading (ELAR) teacher, Master Reading Teacher, and Reading Specialist, with an ESL credential. My bachelor and masters are in English, and I taught middle school in San Antonio before earning my Ph.D in Reading Education at the University of Georgia. At Texas State, I teach undergraduate and graduate courses in literacy methods, literacy assessment and interventions for students who struggle with school-based literacies, children’s and young adult literature, and creating and evaluating literacy professional development.  I have also taught in field-based courses for middle and high school preservice teachers. My research examines teaching literacy in the middle and high school, creating frameworks for literacy instruction in the middle and high school, and critiquing and analyzing children’s and young adult literature. I have recent publications in the Handbook of Research on Reading Comprehension(2nd Ed.), the Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, the Middle School Journal, and Children’s Literature in Education.  I served on the elected Board of Directors of the International Literacy Association from 2015-2018. In 2018, I was awarded the Presidential Award for Excellence in Service at Texas State University.

My vita may be downloaded here.

Oh, and I’m also a Jeopardy Champion.