She earned a Ph.D. in Public Administration from the Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy, State University of New York at Albany. Her research interests are in creativity and innovation, public management, human resources and organizational behavior. Her articles have appeared in prominent public administration journals such as the Review of Public Personnel Administration, Public Productivity and Management Review and the Journal of Public Affairs Education. Her chapters have been published in recent books such as The State of Public Administration and Local Economic Development and the Environment: Finding Common Ground.