Billy: What is your role at the Institute?

Andrew: I serve as Senior Public and Community Engagement Manager and Lecturer for IPG at its Richmond location and I contribute where I can across the college and the university as well. For example, I have taught in the School of Public and International Affairs, developed a course for the Department of Religion and Culture, serve on the Advisory Council for the Outreach and International Affairs Richmond Center, and am a member of the Whole Health Consortium.

Billy: How would you describe your research and praxis?

Andrew: My career has followed an unusual path in that I have broad and diverse experience in higher education and in state and local government. Having worked as a researcher and as an academic and public/civil servant or community leader, I often see my work as a bridge between theory and practice,. My research has also attempted to connect global and local frames, especially in addressing ethical issues and practical challenges that disproportionately affect vulnerable or underrepresented populations. My research areas include public and community engagement, religion and the environment, global ethics, interfaith dialogue (especially between Eastern Christians and Muslims), and religion and identity formation. I have published research with Brill, Routledge and Oxford University Press in the fields of international relations, religious studies, and global ethics and have managed collaborative research efforts in higher education and the public sphere. I also serve on the advisory board for the international journal Salt: Religion and Culture. At IPG, I am pursuing research aligned with our sponsored work as well as my scholarly interests.

Billy: How did you become affiliated with IPG?

Andrew: I began at Virginia Tech in 2021 as a member of a group of researchers based in Richmond within the School of Public and International Affairs (SPIA). Our team formally transitioned to IPG in July 2024, and I continue to be affiliated with SPIA.

Billy: What are some projects on which you are currently working?

Andrew: I am involved in project management, instruction, evaluation, and/or engagement with partners involved with the Virginia Public Sector Leader Training for the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, CivilianLEAD for the Virginia State Police, and Virginia Management Fellows Program (a partnership between Virginia Tech and the Commonwealth’s Department of Human Resources Management). I also recently presented a paper at a Middle East Studies Conference at Christopher Newport University, which I expect to incorporate as a chapter ina book on which I am working that explores the responses of religious leaders and communities to the environmental crisis. Finally, I am pursuing funding opportunities for research and sponsored projects with several state agencies located in the Richmond area.

Billy: What does a typical day look like for you?

Andrew: One of the things that I love about my work is how much it can vary from one day to the next. In a given week, I might write a grant proposal, teach a class/training session, meet with current or prospective project/program partners, write  a reference letter for a former student/program fellow, attend a conference, participate in an advisory board meeting, conduct research, work on developing an article, or otherwise help to expand IPG’s scholarly breadth, depth, and reputation.

Billy: What is one detail your job entails that might be surprising for others to know?

Andrew: I have a large network among public sector workers, nonprofit managers, academics at other institutions, and faith/community leaders and consistently nurture these relationships and pursue new ones to plant seeds for near and longer-term funding and partnership opportunities for IPG.

Billy: What inspires you to do the work you do?

Andrew: Over the course of my career I have had some amazing mentors whose example and advice continues to inspire me. I have also been blessed to travel extensively and live abroad on a few occasions. These cross-cultural experiences challenged me to grow, continue to shape who I am as a person, and inform my research pursuits.

Billy: What is your advice to someone who would want to pursue your area of research and praxis?

Andrew: I would suggest to them that they need to expand their horizons in three areas at all times: knowledge, attitudes, and relationships. Trust yourself and take risks but be humble. Realize there is so much more you can learn. Listen and learn from others and from Nature. Read (actual, physical books and journals) as much, as often, and as broadly as you can. Express yourself through writing and other creative expressions on a regular basis. Identify a few key mentors and stay in touch with those individuals throughout your career. 

Billy: What is an area of research in which you would like to be engaged?

Andrew: Recently, I have become concerned about the alarming global rise in mental health illness and the erosion of trust in our societal institutions. I would like to bring what I have learned across my varied career to help to build our collective understanding of effective, holistic, trauma-informed, and community-engaged approaches to mental wellness. For example, I am seeking funding for a project that would bring together spiritual competency development for behavioral health professionals and mental wellness knowledge and strategies for leveraging spiritual/community resources for faith leaders, while increasing access to services for residents of underserved communities.

Billy: What are some things you like to do in your free time?

Andrew: I enjoy carpentry, architecture and design, hiking, skiing, cooking, and listening to music (especially jazz and rap). We are blessed in Richmond to have the 600-acre James River Park System and I love to explore it on my own or with my family.