Meet Abbi…

Abbi Long is a teacher, writer, and speaker. Her work seeks to empower children, youth, and adults through education. Most importantly, she attempts to pull on the golden thread that connects her experience in K-12 education with Christian teachings about justice, love, and peace. 

Abbi is a doctoral student at the University of Louisville in the College of Education and Human Development’s Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction, with a specialization in Special Education. She is one of ten individuals pursuing this degree as a part of Project PURPLE. Project PURPLE’s 2.3 million dollar scholarship is funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Programs and stands for Preparing Urban and Rural Personnel as Leaders in Education. Project PURPLE is a collaborative endeavor between the University of Louisville and the University of Kentucky. 

She is the co-author of nine books in the These Are Our Bodies: Talking Faith & Sexuality at Church & Home series for preschool, elementary, and middle school students. Abbi served in youth ministry for nearly a decade across many mainline Christian denominations. Recent roles include serving as the Director of Ministry for St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church and as a Licensed Local Pastor in the United Methodist Church.

Abbi is certified by the Education Professional Standards Board as a school administrator, having earned her Rank I in Educational Administration, Leadership, and Research from Western Kentucky University. Abbi worked as the Dean of Students for a middle school in Shelby County, Kentucky for the 2019-2020 school year prior to entering the doctoral program. She also holds teaching certificates for elementary education, K-6, and special education, LBD, K-12. She taught special education in Kentucky’s public schools at the elementary and middle school level for nine years. Her Master of Education in Special Education, Learning and Behavior Disorders from the University of Louisville, and Master of Divinity from Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary combine as a strong foundation for Christian education and curriculum development.