Family Announcement! I’m delighted to share that everyone in our family—me, Ebony, and young Ade—will soon be starting at new schools in North Carolina.
A few months ago, Ebony accepted an invitation to join the faculty at Wake Forest University. Starting this fall, she’ll be an Assistant Professor of Creative Writing, Fiction in the Department of English. If I’ve learned anything as a professor over the past decade, I know this—Ebony will be an amazing professor, and her future Wake Forest students and colleagues are very fortunate to learn alongside her. And kudos to Wake’s forward-looking program that’s welcoming someone who makes comics into a community that values interdisciplinary creativity.
Once Ebony decided to join Wake Forest’s faculty, it meant that our family would be relocating from Denver to Winston-Salem. Though saying goodbye to Colorado after a decade is bittersweet for me and Ebony, it’s become quite a consequential transition for five-year old Ade who just “graduated” from preschool last month. Most fortunately, we’ve found a great public school in Winston for him to attend when he begins kindergarten in August.
And, starting in late July, I’ll be joining Duke Learning Innovation & Lifetime Education as Associate Director of Faculty Development and Applied Research. I’m honored the LILE team is entrusting me to establish new research and development initiatives, design learning experience research in partnership with campus and community stakeholders, and grow a research infrastructure to support educational innovation. Plus I’ll be working alongside visionary leaders Aria Chernik and Yakut Gazi! I’ve realized, over the past year or so, that my skills as a researcher and writer—and my long-standing commitment to cultivating partnerships for educational change—should be leveraged in new settings and at a new scale. I’m thrilled that LILE will center the next chapter of my career.
Over the coming weeks, I’ll share a bit more about a few topics related to this update, including my decision to leave a tenured faculty position and my gratitude for the many folks who helped me navigate this transition. For now, here’s to new adventures for our family in North Carolina!
