She received her Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Social Work from Jackson State University. She has a BSW from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, and an MSW from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. She is licensed with the state of Mississippi and has almost 20 years of social work practice experience in school social work, children and family services, and child and adult mental health. She has presented papers at state and national conferences. Her areas of research interest include: aging and informal caregiving, rural social work, empowerment of women, cross-cultural issues, diversity, and international social work.