She received her master’s degree in Human Development from Washington State University and her PhD in Human Development and Family Sciences in 2005 from Oregon State University. She has an interdisciplinary lens in her research and publication pursuits in the areas of social and environmental sustainability, focusing on the impact of environmental behaviors and knowledge on self efficacy in young populations, the importance of understanding developmental pathways to social and environmental engagement and activism, and the intersection of social equity and environmental health in Portland, OR.