Dennis B. Conklin II graduated from Blackburn College with a B.A. in political science, Loyola University in New Orleans with a Juris Doctor, and the University of Southern Mississippi with a Ph.D. in American history. He has held teaching positions at the University of Southern Mississippi and William Carey University and presently teaches history at Jackson Academy in Mississippi. He and his wife Claudia live in Ridgeland, Mississippi, with their dogs Attila, Gus, and Molly.