She grew up in nearby Cherokee, N.C., earned a B.A. from Yale University and an M.A. from William & Mary College. She returned to Cherokee in 2004 and served as assistant to the principal chief of the Eastern Band Cherokee Indians. From 2007 to 2012 she taught English and Cherokee studies at Swain County High School. In January 2013 she was named executive director of the Cherokee Preservation Foundation. She returned to the classroom in September 2015. She is the author of a series of children’s books illustrated by Cherokee artists as well as several other works of fiction.