She was the Valedictorian of her graduating class at William Woods University, Fulton, Missouri in 1994. She graduated from the University of Missouri, Columbia School of Law in 1997 where she received the American Jurisprudence Award in the area of Disability Law. She holds a degree in accounting and has worked as a tax consultant in a Big Five Accounting Firm. However, the allure of working with individuals rather than corporations drew her to Elder Law.