Her research interests include the U.S. promotion of democracy and Latin America. She is also deeply interested in pedagogies of teaching and is a frequent presenter at workshops on teaching. In Fall 2013 she was appointed SIS Faculty Coordinator for Teaching and Student Learning. She has received several teaching awards including: the 2016 F. Gunther Eyck Award for dedication and devotion to teaching and students; the 2015 Milton and Sonia Greenberg Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Award; and the 2014 Ann Ferren Curriculum Design Award. She has taught at Goucher College, where she was the director of the International and Intercultural Studies program, and at the Monterey Institute of International Studies. She was the founder and director of the Central American Historical Institute, Washington, D.C.