Her projects and writings are focused on issues related to sustainability and engaging everyday buildings with urban places. She has delivered papers and published numerous articles related to community-design practices, one noted in Good Deeds, Good Design, Community Service Through Architecture published by Princeton Architectural Press. She has been supported with a variety of grants, the most recent award from the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards for innovative teaching in sustainability. She received her Masters of Architecture degree from Harvard University and a Bachelors degree in architecture from Kansas State University. Prior to teaching at KU, she taught at the Boston Architecture Center, Harvard Graduate School of Design and Mississippi State University.