She came to Annapolis after a year at West Point, where she taught Sociology in the Department of Behavioral Sciences and Leadership. Before that, she spent a year at Wells College in Aurora, New York. She earned her Ph.D. from Cornell University in 2007 and completed her undergraduate work at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, earning a B.S. in Mathematics and Sociology. Her research focuses on violence and bias, particularly as they relate to race, gender, and sexuality.