Her doctorate is in Curriculum and Instruction from Boston College with an emphasis on second language and literacy development. She also has a Masters degree in Education from the University of San Francisco where she earned a teaching credential with a CLAD (cross cultural language and academic development) endorsement. She has a Bachelor of Arts in French Literature from the University of Pennsylvania. Before coming to UMW, she was Chair of the Language and Literacy department at the International School of Boston. She has also been a classroom teacher and an ESL specialist and has taught students from Kindergarten through adults. Her research interests and publications include teacher preparation for English Language Learners, action research in teacher education, and the influence of culturally relevant pedagogy on teaching and learning.