She teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in sport management and ethics, sport communication, and introduction to sport management. Her areas of research include role models and mentoring women in sport (WoMentoring), and the status of minorities and women in leadership roles in sport. Abney has written several chapters in sport management textbooks. She is a board member on the Commission on Sport Management Accreditation and has served on six committees within the National Collegiate Athletic Association. She is a past president of the National Association for Girls and Women in Sport.