A specialist in helping families dealing with adolescent substance abuse, she authored "From Monsters to Miracles: Parent-Driven Recovery Tools That Work" and previously founded a sober high school. She serves on the University of Houston Board of Visitors, chairing the Medical School Task Force, and serves on the College of Education's Capital Campaign Committee. Edens has a bachelor's in math and computer science from Southern Methodist University and three degrees from UH - an M.B.A. ('77), an M.Ed. in counseling psychology ('89) and a Ph.D. in counseling psychology ('94).