Her research and teaching specialties center on workplace dignity, particularly as it relates to communicative interactions and professional identity. She has published her research in journals such as Management Communication Quarterly, Communication Monographs, Journal of Applied Communication Research, and Women's Studies in Communication. Most recently, she has initiated research examining workplace dignity from a cross-cultural perspective, including European and Asian contexts. She regularly teaches workshops on workplace dignity, as well as semester-long university courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Prior to graduate studies, she worked as a public relations consultant. She earned her Ph.D. from Purdue University in 2006.