I am from Aiken, South Carolina which is between Augusta, Georgia and Columbia, South Carolina in a region known as the CSRA (Central Savannah River Area). I have been a student of the enneagram since 2008 becoming certified to teach the system in 2012 and completing advanced certification training in 2017 within the same program (Enneagram Spectrum of Personality Styles Certification Program). My teacher, Dr. Jerry Wagner, was among the earliest students of the enneagram in the US, being taught by Robert Ochs, a Jesuit Priest and professor at Loyola University Chicago, who studied with Claudio Naranjo (the first person to teach the system in the US). Dr. Wagner was recently recognized an honorary founder of the International Enneagram Association (IEA).
I became a professional member of the IEA in 2015, completing another certification program that same year, with enneagram teacher Tom Condon. In 2021-22 I completed a year long enneagram certification in conscious living with ground breaking author and renowned enneagram teacher Russ Hudson and Jessica Dibb of the Shift Network. Spending an average of 16-20 hours per month with Russ and Jessica as well as guest faculty such as Cyntha Bourgeault, A. H. Almaas, Sandra Maitri, Beatric Chestnut, Ginger Lapid-Bogda, Tom Condon, Uraino Paes, Debra Outten, Mario Sikora and others, including activities outside of class sessions, I accumulated a total of 200 contact hours during this year-long program. In 2024 I completed another teachers certification program this time with Russ Hudson, Jessica Dibb and Gayle Scott through the Shift Network.
I have led numerous workshops and leadership retreats for congregations as well as organizations, including a retreat for the Bishop & staff of the North Carolina Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church In America in 2022.
Over the course of my 29 years as a Lutheran minister I have seen, first hand, what it costs an organization when leaders make decisions born from their own anxieties and become reactive rather than responsive. I have also seen the huge dividends paid when decisions are made by a team of persons whose commitment to their own health ensures the health of their organization. I am a certified a leadership coach and as a trained facilitator for Healthy Congregations since 2010 I can lead six of their workshops which utilize systems theory and are designed to facilitate individual and organizational health.
I am driven by the belief that whether it is our professional or personal life, sometimes all we need is the support and encouragement of someone who believes in us, can help us uncover our true best self and is committed to our success.