Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, at an early age she attended classes at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She holds a BFA in painting and drawing from the Kansas City Art Institute and an MFA from Boston University’s School of Fine Arts. She is the recipient of awards from organizations that include the Artist's Resource Trust, the National Endowment for the Arts, The Artist Foundation of Massachusetts, and the Elizabeth T. Greenshields Memorial Foundation. Throughout the New England area she has been represented in solo shows and group exhibitions in numerous public spaces and galleries.