She graduated from the Honors Program at Adrian College with a B.A. in History and earned graduate degrees from Bowling Green State University (M.A.) and the University of Colorado at Boulder, where she completed her Ph.D. in the History of Early Modern England, 1350-1714. She joined the faculty of Western Illinois University in 2005. In 2009 she won both the College of Arts and Sciences Outstanding Teaching Award and the Provost's Award for Academic Excellence in Teaching, and in 2012 she won the College of Arts and Sciences Outstanding Service Award. She has served as advisor for several student organization and will serve as the faculty advisor for the Golden Key International Honour Society.