Prior to joining the Schar School, she spent two years as a faculty member at the University of Nevada. She received her Ph.D. in public administration from Florida State University and her BA in Politics from the University of California at Santa Cruz. Her research focuses on implementation issues in public management. She is particularly interested in the tools of third-party governance such as the use of intergovernmental grants and contractors. Her most recent work looks at the integration of federal and state policy tools as they relate to energy efficiency and sustainability programs. She has also published on bureaucratic policymaking and procurement activities in the context of state government.