 She announced on April 7, 2009 that she would be resigning her seat to move to Australia where her partner's mother was ill.Her resignation became effective on May 15 and, on May 29, Pat Steadman was sworn-in as her successor.Graduating from Irvine High School in 1980, she went on to the University of Colorado at Boulder where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science in 1983.