She holds a Ph.D. and M.A. in music composition from the University of California at Santa Barbara. She completed her undergraduate studies with honors obtaining a bachelor of arts in music from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri with emphases in composition, voice, and piano. A Rotary Scholar, she studied piano at the Ecole Normale de Musique in Paris, France performing throughout France and other parts of Europe as an Ambassador of Goodwill. “Dr. Dee,” as she is affectionately known, has held countless positions in higher education and in churches across the nation and travels extensively as a performer, workshop clinician and speaker.