Her career in wetland sciences began in 1996, as an undergraduate student researching succession in abandoned rice fields while at the College of Charleston, South Carolina. She leads the U.S. Department of Agriculture Mid-Atlantic Wetland Conservation Effects Assessment Project, serves as an associate editor for the journal Wetlands, and has published over 40 scientific articles and book chapters. She has also helped to develop wetland monitoring strategies for the state of Maryland and the United States.