Jared teaches courses in writing, mindfulness, and critical thinking. His research interests include mindfulness and writing, contemplative pedagogies, selfhood, and reflective writing. From 2009-2022, he directed the University Writing Center at James Madison University and is now an Associate Professor in Interdisciplinary Liberal Studies. Before entering academia full-time, he worked as a reporter, editor, and musician. He has a PhD in Composition and Rhetoric from Old Dominion University, in addition to an MFA in Creative Writing and BA in Journalism, both from the University of Maryland, College Park. He is a certified mindfulness meditation teacher, completing both the two-year Koru Mindfulness teacher certification, and Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach’s two-year mindfulness teacher certification program in partnership with the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley.