Ph.D., Counseling and Counselor Education, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro
M.S. and Ed.S., School Counseling, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro
B.A., Psychology, Boston University

My research focuses on career and educational development for underserved populations, including rural Appalachians, prospective and current first-generation college students, and students with intellectual disability. I strive to increase equity and access by providing instrumental support, awareness programming, mentoring, and other activities to increase knowledge of postsecondary and career options. To achieve these goals, I have spent the last 15 years developing, facilitating, and researching the outcomes of programs that offer outreach and interventions for these students.

Specifically, I created the career and life planning courses for the FUTURE program, funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education, designed to provide postsecondary experiences for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities. I also created a service-learning course for undergraduates to support the FUTURE program. More recently, I created and facilitated career and STEM awareness programs for rural Appalachian high school and college students through my PiPES/Imagining Possibilities (funded by National Institutes for Health, SEPA Award) and ASPIRE (funded by National Science Foundation, S-STEM Award) projects. I work with a team of faculty and graduate students to decrease barriers to postsecondary and STEM career access and success. My most recent grant, Rural Appalachian Mental Health Partnership (RAMHP), funded by the US Department of Education, provides training for aspiring school counselors and school psychologists on best practices in addressing mental health issues of rural students.

Career development and counseling
Social Cognitive Career Theory
Engaged scholarship
Counseling theories
Rural Appalachia
School counseling
First-generation college students

My work primarily uses an engaged scholarship process, where my team and I engage with community partners to understand the unique needs of the students being served. We regularly meet with our rural Appalachian school partners to build and maintain relationships and to ensure we are engaging with their students in the best possible manner.

In addition to these activities, I serve as the Editor of Career Development Quarterly, the official journal of the National Career Development Association (NCDA), a division of the American Counseling Association.