She received a Master’s in Social Work from the University at Buffalo and her PhD in Social Welfare from the University at Albany. She is also co-director of the Institute for Sustainable Global Engagement. Prior to entering academia she developed extensive experience in social work, ranging from casework, community organizing, supervision, training, grant writing and senior management in diverse communities and organizations in New York City that stimulated an interest in social welfare from a global perspective. She teaches courses in social welfare policy, community social work and international social welfare. Her research is focused on women’s rights and gender-based violence in domestic as well as international contexts and child welfare and child rights. Another area of research is devoted to human rights of immigrants and refugees and global migration.