She had been the Attorneys’ Title Insurance Fund Professory at Florida State University College of Law from 2005 to 2012.
She is a leading environmental law scholar who has written important works on water and ocean and coastal issues.
She earned her Juris Doctor degree from Lewis & Clark Law School in Portland, Oregon.
Her articles address, among other issues, federalism in the regulation of water in the U.S. and sustainability in ocean law and policy.
She served as a member the U.S. National Research Council's committee to assess the effects of the Clean Water Act’s regulation of the Mississippi River.