He was introduced to the Baháʼí Faith while an undergraduate student and converted at the age of twenty, on October 16, 1973.
[3] He has been an active Baháʼí since his conversion, and in 1979 participated in mass teachings in rural central Florida.
[1] During his studies for his master's degree in geology, he developed an interest in the history of the Baháʼí community in Rhode Island which led to his researching the biography of Thornton Chase.
[6] Starting in 1989, he has worked for the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States, based in Wilmette, Illinois, in various capacities.
Subsequent to earning his doctorate from Harvard Divinity School,[7] Stockman began teaching at the DePaul University in Chicago prior to proceeding to his current position as a lecturer at Indiana University South Bend, where he teaches religious studies.