She has been a classroom teacher and a school principal and has also served in various leadership capacities in higher education. Her research has centered around the impact of mentoring on public school teachers in West Virginia, where she began her career in education. She was coordinator of the Regional Alternative Licensing Center, a regional office of the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, where she worked with lateral entry teachers. She has a BA in Elementary Education with a specialization in Middle School Language Arts; an MA in Public School Administration and an Ed.D. in Leadership Studies and Curriculum and Instruction.