Prior to joining the faculty at Miami University, she was an assistant professor at the University of South Florida and a litigation attorney at Frost & Jacobs. Abes’s research focuses on lesbian identity, multiple social identities, the use of theory in student affairs research and practice, and critical and queer approaches to student development theory. She has served on the editorial board for the Journal of College Student Development. She is the recipient of professional awards, including the ACPA Annuit Coeptis award for an emerging professional and the Nevitt Sanford Research Award from the Commission on Professional Preparation. She has also been selected as an Association for College Student Personnel (ACPA) Emerging Scholar. She earned her BA in English from The Ohio State University, her JD from Harvard Law School, and her PhD from Ohio State.