She received a B.A. in United States History from University of Massachusetts, a M.A. in History from the University of Chicago, and a Ph.D. in History from the University of Chicago. Dr. Rensenbrink came to Marshall University in 2006. An active Women’s Studies Board member since 2006, she took over as Director of Women’s Studies In May 2011. She also serves as the faculty advisor of both Lambda and the Women’s Studies Student Association, an advisory board member for the Center for the Study of Ethnicity and Gender in Appalachia, and is the Director of the Schmidlapp Distinguished Lectureship in Women’s Studies.