She earned her doctorate in literacy education with a focus on postsecondary literacy from the University of Cincinnati. Prior to that, she trained in English and earned two M.A. degrees (in literature and editing and publishing). Over the years, she has served as a practitioner in first-year and developmental education contexts at community colleges and universities, including teaching developmental reading, basic writing, and learning strategies courses, as well as directing a college reading and learning program. Her research focuses on college literacy learning and practice. She is currently undertaking an investigation of the alignment of reading expectations and texts in developmental reading and career technical education courses.