I am a university distinguished professor at The University of Alabama, serving as a tenured (full) professor of Political Science. I am committed to public policy and administrative leadership aimed at improving the health, well-being, safety, and prosperity of disproportionately affected populations, rural and underserved communities, and our country’s military Veterans. I am a leader in translating evidence into policy, practice, and public health improvements in Alabama.
I am the VitAL Principal Investigator. VitAL is a research, implementation, and training and education initiative that aims to improve services, policies, and community and social conditions for Alabamians with mental health, substance use disorder, and trauma-related challenges. The VitAL team currently works with community and organizational stakeholders within and across all of Alabama’s 67 counties.
Committed to service and leadership, I hold multiple appointments in the community and across the state of Alabama with the objective of advising strategies that address social needs and community conditions across the continuum of care that could improve health, life expectancy, and quality of life, while also reducing related health care costs and productivity losses. Serving locally, I contribute to health systems governance as an appointed fiduciary to the DCH Healthcare Authority, which is a network of community hospitals and other assets, that serves the West Alabama region, and as the chair of the City of Northport’s Healthcare Subcommittee. I serve on the advisory board for the regional crisis care center. I am also an ex officio director of the Tuscaloosa County Economic Development Authority. I serve as a board director for the National Association for Rural Mental Health and I am the board president of the Alabama Rural Health Association. I also hold a gubernatorial appointment to the Alabama Opioid Overdose and Addiction Council. I have previously served as a board director for the Alabama Balance of State Continuum, which oversees the planning of services related to homelessness across 42 rural counties.
During my career, I have earned research fellowships with the Department of Veterans Affairs, the National Rural Health Association, and the RAND Corporation. I have been appointed to multiple committees of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine – the nation’s pre-eminent source of high-quality, objective advice on health matters – having served on its Committee for the Well-Being of Military Families, the Committee on the Progress toward Human Health and Community Resilience in the Gulf of Mexico Region, a Congressionally mandated study committee to examine drug and alcohol programs within the U.S. Department of Transportation, and the Committee on Integrating Human Sciences to Scale Societal Responses to Environmental Change. I was recently appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs to the Veterans Rural Health Advisory Committee to provide advice on health care issues that affect Veterans residing in rural areas.
I am a fellow of the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare - the top honorific society for excellence in the field of social work and social welfare - and the National Academies of Practice in Social Work. I have been recognized for excellence and innovation in teaching and curriculum design and received the Outstanding Commitment to Advising award by The University of Alabama. I have also been recognized by the University with the Outstanding Community Engagement Effort and the President’s Faculty Research awards.
I am an Eagle Scout and military Veteran. I live in Tuscaloosa with my wife and four daughters.
I am the VitAL Principal Investigator. VitAL is a research, implementation, and training and education initiative that aims to improve services, policies, and community and social conditions for Alabamians with mental health, substance use disorder, and trauma-related challenges. The VitAL team currently works with community and organizational stakeholders within and across all of Alabama’s 67 counties.
Committed to service and leadership, I hold multiple appointments in the community and across the state of Alabama with the objective of advising strategies that address social needs and community conditions across the continuum of care that could improve health, life expectancy, and quality of life, while also reducing related health care costs and productivity losses. Serving locally, I contribute to health systems governance as an appointed fiduciary to the DCH Healthcare Authority, which is a network of community hospitals and other assets, that serves the West Alabama region, and as the chair of the City of Northport’s Healthcare Subcommittee. I serve on the advisory board for the regional crisis care center. I am also an ex officio director of the Tuscaloosa County Economic Development Authority. I serve as a board director for the National Association for Rural Mental Health and I am the board president of the Alabama Rural Health Association. I also hold a gubernatorial appointment to the Alabama Opioid Overdose and Addiction Council. I have previously served as a board director for the Alabama Balance of State Continuum, which oversees the planning of services related to homelessness across 42 rural counties.
During my career, I have earned research fellowships with the Department of Veterans Affairs, the National Rural Health Association, and the RAND Corporation. I have been appointed to multiple committees of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine – the nation’s pre-eminent source of high-quality, objective advice on health matters – having served on its Committee for the Well-Being of Military Families, the Committee on the Progress toward Human Health and Community Resilience in the Gulf of Mexico Region, a Congressionally mandated study committee to examine drug and alcohol programs within the U.S. Department of Transportation, and the Committee on Integrating Human Sciences to Scale Societal Responses to Environmental Change. I was recently appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs to the Veterans Rural Health Advisory Committee to provide advice on health care issues that affect Veterans residing in rural areas.
I am a fellow of the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare - the top honorific society for excellence in the field of social work and social welfare - and the National Academies of Practice in Social Work. I have been recognized for excellence and innovation in teaching and curriculum design and received the Outstanding Commitment to Advising award by The University of Alabama. I have also been recognized by the University with the Outstanding Community Engagement Effort and the President’s Faculty Research awards.
I am an Eagle Scout and military Veteran. I live in Tuscaloosa with my wife and four daughters.