She received a Ph.D. in political science at University of Colorado at Boulder with fields of specialization in American politics, political methodology and public policy. Her dissertation was titled "Examining Preferences and Mobilization in Activist Participation." She earned an M.P.Aff. degree at the Lyndon Baines Johnson School of Public Affairs, University of Texas at Austin. She is co-author of "Politicas: Latina Public Officials in Texas" (University of Texas Press) and co-author of "Primaries" (International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences).