She holds a Ph.D. in in Special Education from University of North Carolina Charlotte and focused her dissertation on coaching teachers to use Applied Behavior Analytic techniques in their classrooms. She is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst – Doctoral, Licensed Behavior Analyst, and is the Chair of the Behavior Analyst Advisory Board for the state of Virginia. At JMU, she coordinates the Behavior Specialist Concentration for the M.Ed. Program, the Adapted Curriculum Concentration, and the Visual Impairments Concentration. She teaches courses in teacher preparation in the areas of behavior, classroom management, and adapted curriculum in EXED and IECE programs.