She received her AB in English cum laude from Emmanuel College and her AM and Ph.D. from the University of Chicago in sociology. She came to UVM from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee to be the Dean of UVM's College of Arts and Sciences, which she was from August, 2005 until January, 2011. At the University of Wisconsin, she served twice as Chair of the Department of Sociology and was also Associate Chancellor for Affirmative Action and Assistant Vice-Chancellor for Equal Opportunity, Director of Women's Studies and Associate Dean for the Social Sciences.
She is the author of a book, Street Woman, which received the American Sociological Associations Distinguished Scholar Award and co-editor of The Worth of Women's Work as well as numerous articles and book reviews.
She received the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee's Amoco Teaching Award, has served as President of the Midwest Sociological Society and Sociologists for Women in Society, was chosen by the Milwaukee Foundation Women's Fund as Woman of the Year, and was named by the Milwaukee Journal one of the "Dozen Outstanding University Teachers in Wisconsin." In 2011, she was nominated for UVM's Kroepsh-Maurice Teaching Award.