Disclaimer: All views expressed on this website are my own and may not reflect the views of any organization with which I am affiliated, including my church, Missouri S&T, and LGBTQ+ Rolla.
©2019 Missouri S&T
I am the department chair and Fred W. Finley Distinguished Professor of electrical and computer engineering at Missouri University of Science and Technology. Check out my professional web site for more about that.
I am a ruling elder ordained at First Presbyterian Church of Rolla, where I remain a member. In 2021, I completed a Certificate in Congregational Leadership from the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary. Since then, I have been serving my church in various ways, including preaching regularly. From August 2024 through December 2025, I served as commissioned lay pastor, a position I left to focus on queer ministry. I continue to lead our campus ministry (Sacred Paths).
I am married (Rhonda) with two kids, Sam (they/she) and Jesse (they). Sam graduated from Brown University with a major in archaeology and has started a business, Kimball Restoration, in addition to working in property management. Jesse graduated from the University of Pittsburgh and, after a stint working in a lab at the University of Chicago, is starting a Ph.D. program in neuroscience at Case Western Reserve University. Rhonda has multiple sclerosis and is disabled.
In 2020, I co-founded LGBTQ+ Rolla. I continue to serve on the board of directors as secretary/treasurer.
What I Believe
I believe that everyone is created in God’s image and is worthy of love. I believe that God loves everyone, though is perhaps sometimes disappointed in our choices, just like a parent. I believe that God came to earth in the person of Jesus to show us how to live, how to be in a right relationship with God.
I believe that the Bible is an authoritative witness to humanity’s relationship with God. I believe that the Bible must be interpreted through the lens of the Great Commandment:
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind…. You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
Matthew 22:37,39
Wherever the Bible seems to contradict this commandment, it is a sign that we do not understand the writer’s intent.
As a result of this theological position, I am a supporter of the LGBTQ community. In 2020, to put this belief into action, I founded LGBTQ+ Rolla and continue to serve as its secretary/treasurer. I do not believe that there is anything inherently sinful about being gay or transgender, any more than there is anything inherently holy about being straight or cisgender. God created humans to be in relationship with God and each other; those relationships can take a wide range of forms, all founded on love.
Thriving Sherpa
I believe that the kingdom of God is at hand! It’s here, waiting for us to participate in it! And God’s kingdom is universal human flourishing. My task is to foster the blossoming of God’s kingdom. That is why I preach. That is why I serve my university and my department and my students. That is why I volunteer at the Rolla Mission. That is why I lead an organization that serves the queer community.
Beyond those organizational efforts, I seek to help individuals who are on a spiritual journey. Wherever you are, I will help you move closer to God as you understand Them. I will point out obstacles and pitfalls, easier and harder paths, and so forth. In the end, though, it is your journey.
Last updated 2026-05-10