She received her Ph.D. in political science from Stanford University. A nationally recognized expert on women's involvement in politics, she is coauthor (with Richard L. Fox) of the book It Takes a Candidate: Why Women Don't Run for Office. She has also published numerous articles in political science journals and has issued two policy reports on the barriers that impede women's candidate emergence. In 2006 she sought the Democratic nomination for the U.S. House of Representatives in Rhode Island's Second Congressional District. Although she lost the race, she is very active in politics. Recently, she joined the national board of Emerge America.