Originally from Jefferson City, Missouri, she earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Missouri in 1984. After working several years as a critical care nurse, she returned to school and received a Master of Arts in Counseling in 1994. She returned to work as a registered nurse in both Interventional Radiology and the Cardiac Cath Lab at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. There she continued her education, graduating with a Master of Science in Nursing in 1999.