AAFCS turns the spotlight on individuals, their experiences, and how they have benefited from AAFCS membership and/or family and consumer sciences programs. It offers an opportunity for you to share your story with your colleagues and the greater FCS community, inspire future FCS professionals, and strengthen awareness of the profession and association.
Isn't it your turn to grab the spotlight? Download a submission form here!
Troy Stuart
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Active Member since 2009
This month’s Member Spotlight features Dr. Troy Stuart of the Louisiana Affiliate, a member of the AAFCS Public Policy Committee. As of December 2010, Troy is making an international impact with his FCS training, as he and his family moved to Chiang Rai, Thailand for 18 months, where he is a teacher and administrator at the Chiang Rai International Christian School. From August 2007 – December 2010 Troy was on faculty in the FCS program at Southeastern Louisiana University, where he primarily taught courses in family studies. From 2001 – 2007 he worked as campus minister for a non-denominational church at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge.
Why did you join AAFCS?
I joined AAFCS because it offers an excellent opportunity to get to know other FCS professionals, to work together on committees, and to exchange ideas through publications.
How has membership in AAFCS been of value to you and your practice?
Working on the Public Policy Committee was of immense help to me in teaching a university course on Family Policy. This committee is very active and helped me gain a much better understanding of how FCS professionals and AAFCS as a professional organization are involved in helping shape policies that are important to the well-being of children and families. Through AAFCS I have also had the opportunity to sharpen my professional skills through participation in the annual conference, submitting articles to our professional journals, and serving as a reviewer for JFCS.
Please complete the following sentence:
AAFCS is …an association of professionals who care deeply about the well-being of all people.
Please explain your answer. The members of AAFCS care. They care about how people in our communities are doing. The members of our profession are actively involved in helping create an environment in society and in the home where people can achieve a high quality of life.
Why did you choose the field of family and consumer sciences?
I chose the FCS field because it focuses on practice. I love that this profession emphasizes how to help people in very practical and tangible ways. While the profession does generate good scholarship and does emphasize research based programs, it is still a profession driven by helping others improve the quality of their lives in practice not just in theory. I also chose this field because I desire to see more men develop strong relationship skills as husbands and fathers. I enjoy working with couples in premarital counseling workshops and with fathers who want to be effective dads.
Please list a few of your most recent accomplishments.
Most recently I published an article in the ESAE 2010 Best Practices Guide, I presented a "Research to Practice" Round at the 2010 Annual Conference & Expo in Cleveland, I presented a poster session and oral presentation on my research on daily hassles and children’s cognitive ability at the 2010 annual conference of our state affiliate, and I served on the AAFCS Public Policy Committee.
Read past spotlights: