She has in-depth training in landscape ecology, particularly as applied to forest and avian ecology. Since joining the ISU faculty in 2003, she co-leads the Science-based Trials of Row-crops Integrated with Prairie Strips research team. She is a Fellow in the Aldo Leopold Leadership Program operated by the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment and is a trustee in The Nature Conservancy of Iowa, and has been honored for her early accomplishments in teaching and research. Her degrees are in biology and forestry from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, University of Minnesota-Duluth and University of Wisconsin-Madison.