She graduated with a Ph.D. in Criminology from Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 2008. Since that time, she has published over 40 peer-reviewed journal articles, written and edited multiple books, and is extremely active in the discipline on a university, regional and national level. She was recently awarded Outstanding Educator of the Year by the Southern Criminal Justice Association. Her experience as a student and faculty member has given her insight into the needs and expectations of students, and more importantly the common misperceptions of the field by students studying criminal justice.