I graduated with my PhD from the University of California, Irvine in 2014 after writing a dissertation entitled Aquinas and Later Scholastics on Willful Wrongdoing. The dissertation explores Aquinas's understanding of malicious wrongdoing and its legacy in the works of several of his later followers (specifically Capreous, Cajetan, and Suárez). I specialize in the history of ethics, medievel philosophy, and early modern philosophy, and my publications include "Directed Obligations and the Trouble with Deathbed Promises" in Ethical Theory and Moral Practice; May 2014, "Weakness and Willful Wrongdoing in Aquinas's De Malo" for the Cambridge Critical Guide to Aquinas's Disputed Questions on Evil, as well as several book reviews and pieces of public philosophy. I am currently working on articles on Francisco Suárez's concept of moral necessity, Aquinas's understanding of vice, and Catherine of Siena's thoughts on "holy hatred".
At CSS, I teach classes on a variety of topics related to ethics, the history of philosophy, and feminist theory, including Philosophies of Feminism, Medieval Philosophy, Health Happiness and Human Wellbeing, The Ethics of Consumption, The Ethics of Making and Taking Lives, Introductory Ethics, and Evil (Honors class). I love developing new courses based on student interest and/or what is happening in the world, and working with a variety of programs at CSS. I am the coadvisor for Scholastica's Pre-Law program and served on Duluth's Judiciary Ethics Committee for six years, and I am also on the Women's and Gender Studies advisory council, the Honors program faculty and advisory council, teach classes for Sustainability Studies and Health Humanities, and serve as Chair of the Philosophy Department.
In my freetime, I love to travel, grow things, ski, camp, swim, and cook, often with my partner and daughter by my side. I also spend copious hours watching tv and movies and love to talk about philosophy in pop culture. Finally, I am a pet parent to an overly energetic dog, the world's most loving cat, and a lively goldfish.
