She received her Ph.D. in Ethnic Studies from the University of California, Berkeley, and her scholarly research focuses on Indigenous history, visual culture studies, and museum studies. Her publications include, Decolonizing Museums: Representing Native America in National and Tribal Museums (2012); a co-edited book with Amanda J. Cobb, The National Museum of the American Indian: Critical Conversations (2008); and a co-authored volume, People of the Big Voice: Photographs of Ho-Chunk Families by Charles Van Schaick, 1879-1942 (2011).