​She is a Nursing Science Ph.D. Candidate at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC), where her dissertation research on the impact of disasters on the breastfeeding dyad, will soon involve surveying breastfeeding mothers and emergency managers. She serves at the local, state, and national levels on initiatives to reduce infant mortality, improve access to lactation support, and improve disaster response capacity. She was formerly the Nurse Educator and Medical Reserve Corps Coordinator for the Shelby County Health Department and Clinical Faculty for Pediatric Nursing and Population Health Nursing at UTHSC in the College of Nursing. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Union University and a Master of Science in Nursing from the University of Phoenix.