She completed her undergraduate degree in computer science here at Coastal, where she graduated as valedictorian. After graduation, she worked as a programmer/analyst at Horry Telephone Cooperative in Conway, S.C. while pursuing her M.S. in computer information systems. She returned to CCU as an instructor and later assistant professor after earning her Ph.D. in computer information systems from Nova Southeastern University. Her research focuses on security pattern languages and aspect-oriented programming.