She earned her Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Florida and her Juris Doctor degree from the University of Miami School of Law (UM). At UM, she was a member of the Inter-American Law Journal and was granted the American Jurisprudence Award for Environmental Law. She served as an attorney with the Dade County Attorney’s Office practicing health care and environmental law. She also taught Legal Research, Writing and Moot Court at UM. In 1996, she moved to Las Vegas and continued her practice with the Nevada Attorney General’s Office representing a number of boards and commissions until 2000, when she was assigned exclusively to the Colorado River Commission of Nevada (CRCN), engaging in water and power matters. Since 2005, she has continued with the CRCN as a consultant on a variety of local, interstate, and international matters.