Stacy Warner

Hi, I am Stacy. I am originally from Central PA, but I took a long meandering career path through Lake Placid, NY; Chapel Hill, NC; Indianapolis, IN; San Antonio, TX; back to Chapel Hill, NC; and then back to TX (Austin) before returning to NC and finding my place in Greenville, NC. My faith journey is quite similar: a very winding path. Although I grew up in a church and had a spiritual foundation, I can’t say that I know what it is like to be an undergraduate Christian college student. I can say I know quite well what it is like to be a lost, wandering, directionless undergrad trying to find her purpose and fit in the world. I was fortunate to go to UNC for a master’s degree and have two roommates who did have things figured out. God kept putting the right people in my life and I grew tremendously by witnessing how they lived their lives. Perhaps it’s the researcher in me, but I like to collect all the facts and to ask a ton of questions before accepting something as truth. Around that time, I read on different religions and spiritual paths, but when I wanted life answers I would keep going back to God’s very word, the Bible. There was so much supportive historical data in there and along with those nudges or “God winks,” if you will, that my path slowly became clearer. Proverbs 3:5-6 became cemented in mind and heart. According to a wise friend, though, I was still sitting on the fence--knowing and seeing that Christians off the fence had something I wanted; they were all in and I was still sort-of in. I was okay with that for a time until I heard a speaker talk about the only struggle in life you will ever face is with your faith. It was an “ah-ha” moment and pushed me off the fence. I wanted and needed to be all in with truly trusting and committing to living out God’s will. It couldn’t have come at a better time. After years of saying I wanted to do anything but teach, I was being nudged to get a PhD so I could teach full-time. This was something I knew I could not do unless God’s hand was in on it. By the grace of God and with a lot of prayer, I ended up working with a PhD advisor who cared more about her students’ life trajectories than their career trajectories. When I was overwhelmed with coursework and research, she would remind me that my only job was to love people well. Today, although my business cards read Professor, I’m still striving daily to do well in the only job that matters: love God and all the people He’s made.

My Life

Favorite Quote

Know that your life matters to many. So do good work, laugh every day, & press on. -Dr. Nelson Cooper

Friends describe me

Dependable, optimistic, serious yet silly

My hobbies

Running, searching for the best burger/pizza, traveling

My worst subject in school

Statistics. I like math and numbers, but statistics---ugh!

If I weren't a professor, I would

be a postal carrier. There’s a start and finish each day, you can see your progress, and I’d get to walk outside Monday through Friday.

Favorite city

Queenstown, NZ

Favorite coffee

Hot dark roasted pour over coffee. If I’m running out for coffee, it’s McDonald’s or Dunkin Donuts.

Current Research

Exploring how sport can be used to build community, and how sport managers can improve life quality and athlete well-being.