She received her PhD in Political Science from the University of Michigan and her B.A. in International Relations from Stanford University. Her research focuses on postconflict state building in the Balkans and Western aid for promoting democracy in Eastern Europe. Between 1990 and 1994, she worked as a research analyst on Eastern Europe for the U.S. Department of State. Her book, Peacebuilding in the Balkans: The View from the Ground Floor, was published by Cornell University Press in December 2007.