About Sam Harrelson

I’m Sam Harrelson, an eco-theologian, scholar, and consultant whose work lives at the crossroads of ecology, spirituality, ethical consulting, and story. My days are shaped by a deep interest in how ancient wisdom and contemporary ecological thought can speak to the urgent questions of our age, questions of climate, justice, and meaning.

I’m currently pursuing a PhD in Philosophy and Religion at the California Institute of Integral Studies, concentrating in Ecology, Spirituality, and Religion. My research, which I call The Ecology of the Cross, draws on the phenomenology of Edith Stein and the process metaphysics of Alfred North Whitehead to re-imagine theology as a practice of ecological intentionality and reciprocity. I’m especially interested in how Christian thought can meet ecological crisis with creativity, humility, and hope, and how spiritual communities might root themselves more deeply in the living world.

Alongside my academic work, I’ve spent more than two decades helping organizations, congregations, and creative projects tell their stories with intention. Through my consulting practice, I guide clients in developing strategies, narratives, and digital ecosystems that do more than promote. Rather, they connect, inspire, and endure. My past experience ranges from running my own firm, the Harrelson Agency, to leadership roles in marketing strategy, where I’ve helped institutions and individuals align their public voice with their deepest purpose.

My path to this work has been shaped by a lifelong love of teaching, writing, and exploring how ideas move through communities. I earned an MA in Religion and the Arts from Yale Divinity School, where I wrote Asia Has Claims Upon New England (Yale University Press, 2006), a study of Assyrian art, missionary work, and cultural memory. For fifteen years, I taught science and literature across the Carolinas—courses ranging from AP Physics and Environmental Science to creative writing—believing that classrooms can be laboratories of wonder as much as places of instruction.

At home in Spartanburg, South Carolina, I share life with my wife, Merianna, a teacher and spiritual director, and our five children: Mary Hudson, Laura, Ben, Emmylou, and Lily. Parenting, poetry, and the forested landscapes of the Carolinas keep me grounded in the everyday practice of presence. My writing, whether academic essays, sermons, or poems published in recent South Carolina poetry anthologies, flows from the same impulse: to honor the mystery that holds us, and to invite others into conversation with it.

Whether through scholarship, consulting, or creative work, I am committed to weaving together theology, ecology, and narrative in ways that cultivate meaning and resilience. If you’re curious about how these threads might intersect with your work or community, I’d love to connect and explore together.

I also authored Has Claims Upon New England on Assyrian archaeology and 19th Century Missionaries from Yale University Press. Related to that work, I’ve taught Religious Studies courses at the university level and have been included in books and studies on Assyrian art and archaeology as well as the history of Dura Europa in modern-day Syria.

Education:

  • California Institute for Integral Studies (PhD Student, Ecology, Religion, and Spirituality)
  • Yale University (MAR, Religion and the Arts)
  • Gardner-Webb University (MDiv Studies)
  • Wofford College (BA, Religion)

Teaching Experience:

  • AP Physics, AP Environmental Science, and Middle School Science – Wilson Hall (Sumter, SC)
  • Physics, Physical Science, and Earth Science Teacher and Dean of Students – Thomas Sumter Academy (Rembert, SC)
  • Middle School Math, Robotics, Science Teacher, and Social Media Coordinator – Carolina Day School (Asheville, NC)
  • Middle School Science and Robotics Teacher – Spartanburg Day School (Spartanburg, SC)
  • Adjunct Professor – Gardner-Webb University (Boiling Springs, NC)
  • Adjunct Professor – University of South Carolina (Columbia, SC)
  • Middle School Science Teacher – Hammond School (Columbia, SC)
  • High School English and Literature – Newberry High School (Newberry, SC)

Work Experience:

  • President – Harrelson Agency
  • Marketing Strategy Manager – AgFirst Farm Credit Bank
  • General Manager, North America – Clicks2Customers
  • CEO – planetBeta
  • Senior Vice President / COO – PrimeQ
  • Senior Accounts Manager – AdDrive Advertising Network
  • Curatorial Assistant – Yale University Art Gallery

Advisory Boards:

  • Palmetto Project Board of Advisors
  • Commission Junction Board of Publishers
  • Affiliate Summit Advisory Board
  • Affiliate Classroom Board of Directors
  • Spartanburg Day School Strategic Planning Board
  • Social Media Board for Carolina Day School

Publications:

All publications and papers available here.