I attended CSUF as an undergraduate and earned my B.A. in Psychology in 1979. After moving to Cambria, California in 1980, I enrolled in an M.A. program in the Education Department with an emphasis in counseling at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. While living on the central coast, I developed the Rocking Horse Ranch Preschool in the town of Cayucus where our curriculum focused on children's social and emotional development as well as kindergarten readiness. We also piloted a program of androgynous role models in the preschool and its effect on children's perceptions of workplace stereotypes and aspirations.

I returned to Southern California in 1983 and worked as a commodities broker and eventually a branch manager for Kornreich commodities in Mission Viejo and Beverly Hills before returning to school at CSUF where I completed an M.A. in experimental psychology with an emphasis in developmental psychology in 1990. I also completed an M.A. in clinical psychology at Chapman University in 1996 and have worked in a variety of clinical positions.

I joined the faculty of the Child Development Department in the fall of 1990 and the faculty of the Psychology Department a year later. Over the years I have taught courses in Infancy, Middle Childhood, Practicum, Senior Seminar, Research Methods, and Psychological Testing.