She received her PhD from the Radboud University Nijmegen in The Netherlands. Prior to joining the faculty at the University of Maine, she worked as an Associate Professor of Mass Communication at Albany State University in Albany, Georgia. She has taught both undergraduate and graduate students, and has taught courses on the theoretical foundations of mass communication, strategic communication, race, gender and the media, as well as several production courses. Her research interests include media selection and enjoyment, meaning making in social media, and health and media usage.