Prior to becoming an attorney, she was a registered nurse and faculty member of the University of California at San Francisco School of Nursing. She served as member and chair of the joint committee of the San Francisco Bar Association and the San Francisco Medical Society. An active volunteer, she is a longstanding member and past president of the Hospitals Auxiliary for UCSF. She currently volunteers with the SPCA and SHIP (a program using dog training to reach at risk children of domestic violence or child abuse). She has a BS from the Ohio State University, MS from the University of California San Francisco, and a JD from the University of California Davis. She is a member of the State Bar of California.