She received a degree in history with a minors in English and theology from Alverno College.
She worked for the Illinois Nurses Association in the collective bargaining program between 1975 and 1979 and then for Catholics for a Free Choice in 1985.
[1] While she was regional director, she helped to found chapters in thirteen Midwest states on a budget of $100.
[7][8] She was elected at the national level as the co-director of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) campaign from 1980 to 1982 and as vice president for action from 1982 to 1985.
[13] Some of her papers are held by the Schlesinger Library at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University.