She is also the Director of New Faculty Mentoring at UNCG. She holds a Bachelor's degree from Avila College in Kansas City, Missouri, a Master's degree from Western Maryland College, and a Ph.D. from the University of Maryland-College Park. Previously she held a faculty position at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. Dr. Phillips' research focuses on the variables involved in hearing loss in musicians, including practice exposure levels and genetic predisposition. Her previous research was in the area of speech perception in older adults with hearing loss, which was funded by the National Institute of Deafness and other Communication Disorders.