Her major areas of interest are state and local government budgeting and financial management. She previously taught at the University of Texas in Austin and San Antonio and worked for the State of Texas Bond Review Board and the City of San Antonio Budget & Research Department. She has published in journals, such as Public Budgeting and Finance, Municipal Finance Journal, and Journal of Education Finance. She has a Ph.D. in Public Policy from Carnegie-Mellon University and a Master’s in Public Administration from Syracuse University.