Her areas of teaching and research interest include language-based reading disabilities, multi-sensory reading-based instruction, language arts, autism, creativity and community-based instruction. She has written and received several grants, particularly in the areas of elementary-based STEM education, arts integration, and the development of professional development school networks. Prior to her work in higher education, she was a teacher for children in preschool, elementary school, and middle school in Virginia and West Virginia. She and her family love gardening, caring for rescue dogs, and remodeling their turn-of-the-century home.