Service
My philosophy of service is that it is important for all members of society to spend some time on serving the community. As both empirical and theoretical studies show, we are more resilient, happier, and effective when we work together.
I am active in service wherever I go. Currently, most of my service is to the field of philosophy and to my academic employers. However, I have multiple philosophical, political, social, and personal commitments which I try to fulfill with my service activities.
Here’s a short summary of my scholarly service activities. I became editor-in-chief of the Blog of the APA in July 2020. From 2016 until then I served as an Editor, writing and editing two to three posts per week on research, diversity, and service. I have also begun four ongoing series for the Blog, including the “Recently Published Book Spotlight” which puts me in contact with notable scholars like Seyla Benhabib, Colin Koopman, and Jason Brennan. While I worked at Marian University, Mercyhurst University, Duquesne University, and Boston College, I organized multiple conferences, workshops, and other events for students and faculty. For example, in 2011 I received a National Endowment for the Humanities grant to organize a conference on the relationship between technology and identity; in 2013-4 I coordinated a speaker series for the Center for Interpretative and Qualitative Research; and from 2014-2016 I brought speakers to campus for the Evelyn Lincoln Center for Ethics and Society.
I am committed to sustainability, equality, and justice.
Socially and politically, I am committed to the ideal of a sustainable, equitable, and just world embodying values like love and respect. My non-academic service activities reflect that commitment. As I am able, I like to do volunteer work in disadvantaged communities, including distributing food, educating children, and providing health care. When I feel the situation warrants it, I will participate in—and on rare occasions, organize—advocacy work.
More recently, I have become more involved in advocacy for the humanities. I believe that many of the problems we face will be difficult to solve if we fail to improve our reasoning abilities, self-expression, and understanding. These are the traits humanities disciplines encourage. Among other things, I have joined the National Humanities Association’s Humanities Advocacy Day several times and participated in several workshops on the humanities.
Service Activities
Editor-in-Chief of the Blog of the American Philosophical Association, 2020-present
External Reviewer for Philosophia, 2020
Co-coordinator and Co-organizer of the 2nd Annual Marginal Theory Conference at the University of Pittsburgh, 2013
President of Graduate Students in Philosophy (GSiP), 2012-2013
Coordinator and Organizer of the 1st Annual Marginal Theory Conference at Duquesne University, 2011
Member of the Organizing Committee for the Annual Boston College Philosophy Graduate Conference, 2007-2009
Member of the Ft. Hays Leadership Council at SIAS University, 2018-2021
External Reviewer for Epoche, 2019
Co-coordinator and co-organizer of a year-long speaker series held by the Center for Interpretative and Qualitative Research, 2013-2014
Chief Conference Coordinator of the Duquesne University Graduate Conference, 2012-2013
Director and Founder of the Marginal Theory Group in the Philosophy Department at Duquesue University, 2010-2012
Director of Marginal Theory Group, Philosophy Department, Boston College, 2008-2009
Organizer of SIAS University’s Philosophy Club, 2018-2021
External Reviewer for Deleuze and Guattari Studies, 2019
Organizer of several talks held at Mercyhurst University as a Fellow at the Evelyn Lincoln Institute for Ethics and Society, 2014-2016
Reviewer for Social Philosophy Today, 2011
Organizer of the Duquesne University Graduate Students in Philosophy Colloquia series, 2009-2010, 2011-2012
Member of the Curriculum and Conferences committees for the Marginal Theory Group, Boston College, 2007-2008
Editor of the Blog of the American Philosophical Association in charge of research and diversity posts, 2016-2020
Member of the Academic Symposium Organizing Committee at Marian University, 2016-2017
Co-Director of SPECTRUM at Marian University, 2016-2017
Member of the Duquesne University Philosophy Hiring Committee, 2011
Member of the Duquesne Graduate Students in Philosophy Conference organizing committee, 2009-2014