She received her Ph.D. in hospitality administration from Texas Tech University where she taught beverage management courses in the Restaurant, Hotel, and Institutional Management program while serving the Texas Wine Marketing Research Institute. She most recently comes from the Hospitality Innovation program at the University of Arkansas where she taught undergraduate and graduate students in the areas of beverage management and marketing, and food and beverage pairing. Her culinary arts background and wine research, particularly regarding underserved market segments, furthers her interest in defining the art of hospitality.