Ben has been a college professor since 2010. He has taught at several univeristies and colleges throughout the United States. Since 2020 he has been an Adjunct Professor in the Art Department at Quinnipiac University. He received his M.F.A. in Painting from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2010 and his M.A. in Painting from University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2009. In 2006 he received his B.F.A. in Painting from Northern Illinois University. He also received an Associate of Science in Design and Animation from Full Sail University in 1997. Ben is also an artist who makes abstract drawings, paintings, and sculptures. He has participated nationally in exhibitions and continues to work on a body of artwork that examines his ideas about mapmaking, time, and mental health.