Leggett-Bradley, Samantha
Curriculum Vita
Areas of Emphasis:
Intergroup CommunicationBiography:
Samantha Leggett-Bradley is from Fayetteville, Pennsylvania. Before WVU, Samantha worked full-time in pastoral ministry with the United Methodist Church for ten years. She served as a Youth Pastor with grades 6-12, a Young Adult Pastor with ages 18-35, a Contemporary Worship Pastor, and eventually as an Associate Pastor with all ages. Samantha also worked as an Adjunct Professor of Communication at Messiah University from 2016-2021.
Samantha’s areas of study include LGBTQ+ individuals' disclosure strategies when coming out to a parent/guardian, as well as creating and implementing facilitations for LGBTQ+ individuals to help practice and navigate coming out in a Christian home. Finding ways to reduce prejudice toward members of the LGBTQ+ community, as well as increase communication efficacy for members of this population are her overarching research goals.
Outside of academia, Samantha can be found fishing and canning home grown produce with her wife Ashley.
For the 2024-2025 academic year, Samantha will serve as a Graduate Research Assistant under Dr. Megan Gandy in the School of Social Work working on the Play Higher for Behavioral Health: An Educational Pipeline Initiative grant funded project. Samantha has also taken a volunteer position with First Presbyterian Church of Morgantown to create and implement a community group and programming for 11-14 year old LGBTQ+ youth and their families. Samantha hopes to finish her dissertation as well after receiving the Outstanding Merit Fellowship through WVU.
Education:
B.A., Communication (Emphasis: Speech Communication), Messiah University M.A., Youth & Young Adult Ministries, Messiah University