She received her doctorate in textile marketing from the University of Maryland in 1998. Her research interests include advertising and promotion, international marketing and retailing, and socially responsible business practices related to apparel marketing and retailing. She has published research exploring consumer response to sustainability in retail store design, environmentally friendly and fair-labor marketing claims, and cause-related marketing. She is a member of the International Textile and Apparel Association, the North American Case Research Association, and the American Association of University Women; in 2012 she participated in the University of Missouri’s Textile Products Labeling Summit: Sustainability-related Labels.