She is a graduate of the school psychology program at The University of Texas at Austin, and has worked as a school psychologist in Texas, Oklahoma, Kentucky, and Washington State. She is a woman of transgender history. Her professional interests are in assessment of reading comprehension and cognitive learning strategies, management of aggressive behavior in children and youth, the development of skilled writing and reading, and the development of gender identity. She is a past president of the Washington State Association of School Psychologists.