She received her B.A. in Elementary Education with an emphasis on science and her M.S. in Early Childhood Education. Prior to her call to higher education, Amy taught middle school, preschool, and kindergarten for fifteen years in Lutheran schools in both Ohio and Wisconsin. She is currently completing a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership with an emphasis on Early Childhood Education at Concordia University Chicago. Her dissertation research is focused on nature preschools and teacher agency in outdoor educational experiences with young children.