She earned her Doctoral degree in developmental psychology from Loyola University Chicago. Her research has primarily focused on the importance of transitions along the developmental path, including such milestone events as starting college or having a child. Her current focus is on transitions within the family, the development of family over the course of young adulthood and expectations that emerging adults have for future family formation, including work-family balance and gender roles within the family. She has published in Parenting: Science and Practice, the College Student Journal, Journal of Early Adolescence, Early Childhood Research Quarterly, Journal of Educational Psychology, and Genetic, Social, and General Psychology Monographs. In addition, she co-edited a volume of Advances in Gender Research (Notions of Family: Intersectional Perspectives) with Marla Kohlman and Bette Dickerson.