TJ has a Masters in Communication Studies from the University of Alabama and a Bachelor of Science in Speech Communications from Troy University. At Troy, his Capstone Senior Project was “The Blending of Communication and Leadership Theory into an Experiential Leadership Development Curriculum for a Three-Day State-Wide Collegiate Leadership Training Program (named Alabama Leadership Academy).” At UA, his master’s thesis was titled “Framing the Discourse of Leadership: An analysis of leadership construction within Communication Studies, Business, and Higher Education.
TJ’s experiences in student affairs administration, nonprofit management, and education have established him as an educator, trainer, speaker, presenter, and consultant who has a theory-informed personal approach to helping students, staff, and clients develop and improve their communication and leadership skills. TJ is a scholar-practitioner with experience applying communication, business, and education theory to different contexts. TJ has led workshops and taught university courses in leadership and diversity, public speaking, strengths/styles/personality assessment, conflict management, organizational assessment, and communication.
TJ has experience at large, small, public, and private institutions as an instructor, leadership trainer, student organization advisor, conduct officer, event organizer, staff supervisor, housing coordinator, and case manager. His work, primarily in student affairs administration and education, has given him diverse experiences in different regions of the country – the Southeast, Northwest, and Midwest. He has a firm grasp of student development from his years working in education and training. How he approaches teaching and training, his educational philosophy is grounded in communication skill development, experiential learning theory, and self-determination theory. TJ has stayed relevant in academia by being active with research, conference participation, presentations, and publications in the field of communication studies and higher education. His teaching, research, and publications across the fields of Communication Studies and Higher Education Administration specifically focus on leadership training, social justice education, cultural competency, and organizational communication.
TJ has had rigorous experiences directing operations for nonprofit organizations both professionally and as a volunteer. His nonprofit work includes chartering new chapters of 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) nonprofit organizations, managing budgets, leading fundraising initiatives, and organizing large-scale events. Through this work, he has developed a leadership training curriculum, team development workshops, mission drafting sessions, strategic plans, and has guided students, staff, and clients through personal and professional skill development activities.
With TJ’s knowledge, skills, and experiences from a variety of backgrounds including student affairs, higher education, nonprofit administration, organizational communication, intercultural communication, and leadership training he has a unique ability to adapt and modify training and assessments to fit a variety of organizational and institutional environments that will assist with the advancement of personal and organizational goals. TJ has worked in higher education administration at Roosevelt University, Saint Xavier University, and Washington State University. TJ is also Adjunct Faculty for the Communication Department at Saint Xavier University on the far Southside of Chicago and for the English, Speech, and Theater department at Harold Washington College in downtown Chicago.
