Mission
As a scholar, teacher, and citizen, I aim to use the tools of philosophical inquiry and clear, persuasive communication for the advancement of freedom, opportunity, and justice in a number of areas. These include quality public education and life opportunities for disadvantaged, under-resourced, and disabled persons. I study ethics, educational philosophy, and public policy with a background in American philosophy in order to write, teach, and engage the public on pressing moral challenges.
About Me
I am Professor and Director of Graduate Studies in the department of Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation at the University of Kentucky. Prior to moving to Kentucky, I served as a Contributing Columnist for The Clarion Ledger of Jackson, MS, Mississippi’s major newspaper. From 2007 to 2016, I was Assistant (’07-’13) and then Associate Professor (’13-’16) of Public Policy Leadership and affiliated faculty member in the School of Law and in the department of Philosophy at the University of Mississippi. I have published six books that you can learn about on this Web site, including Democracy and Leadership (Lexington Books, 2013) and Uniting Mississippi (University Press of Mississippi, 2015), and one of which is an edited volume of John Dewey’s public writings, titled America’s Public Philosopher: Essays on Social Justice, Economics, Education, and the Future of Democracy (Columbia University Press, 2021). My latest book is titled A Culture of Justice, which will be released in January of 2026 with the State University of New York (SUNY) Press. I earned my Ph.D. in Philosophy in 2007 at Southern Illinois University, my M.A. in Philosophy from Ohio University, and my B.S. in Philosophy and Communication Studies from Vanderbilt University. I began teaching in 2002 at O.U. in Athens, Ohio.
I serve as Executive Director and as a member of the Board of Trustees for the Society of Philosophers in America (SOPHIA). From 2011 to 2014, I served as Chair of the American Philosophical Association’s Committee on Public Philosophy. Since 2013, I have been a member of the Advisory Board for the Public Philosophy Network and chaired the Program Committee for the group’s 2015 conference. Finally, I chaired the Society for the Advancement of American Philosophy’s Committee on Public Philosophy from 2013-2017.
In 2011, I received the Cora Lee Graham Award for Outstanding Teaching from the College of Liberal Arts and then in 2012 the Thomas F. Frist Award for Student Service from the University of Mississippi. In 2024, the University of Kentucky Alumni Association selected me for one of their 2024 Great Teacher Awards. I am presently the advisor or director of approximately 25 graduate students.
I am the divorced father of three wonderful children, Helen, Sam, and Elliott, who live with me half the time in Lexington, KY, where I started out as Visiting Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Kentucky, before I accepted the position of Associate Professor of Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation in the College of Education in June of 2018. In 2025, I happily committed to the lovely special education teacher, Lisa Huffman, whose children Aedyn and Abagale bring us to a family of seven, with Lisa’s dog Elliot making our eighth family member.