[4][3] Peterson was raised in Edina, and is one of six children; her four brothers and one sister include Todd Douglas, Scott Jeffrey, Craig Donald, Mark Bradley, and Polly Suzanne.

[1] Peterson attended Edina High School, and later received a Bachelor of Arts degree from St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota, with a triple major in political science, communications, and American studies.

[3] Peterson had previously been crowned Queen of the Minneapolis Aquatennial and Miss Svenskarnas Dag, prior to competing in national pageantry.

[6] In the competition, Peterson became the first American competitor not to advance to the semifinals, which would not be repeated again until Kimberly Pressler represented the United States at Miss Universe 1999.

[1][12] As a philanthropist, she and her husband made donations to educational and charitable institutions through the Burwell Family Foundation, which she serves as the president of.