While a student at William and Mary, I originally planned a high school teaching career, but, after student teaching my last semester, I decided to go on to graduate school instead. After receiving a Masters from the University of Virginia, I taught mathematics and computer science at Norfolk State University and Hampton University for three years. After going on for a PhD in computational and applied mathematics at Old Dominion University, I decided to pursue a career outside of teaching. That led me to my current job as a research mathematician at the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is a government agency that conducts theoretical and applied research to support its goals of advancing scientific technology, improving measurement standards, and strengthening the competitiveness of US industries in the international market. NIST is composed of several technical laboratories. I am a member of the Computing and Applied Mathematics Laboratory. Members of my division serve dual roles as consultants to other NIST scientists while also conducting research in their own particular areas of expertise.

Currently, I am doing research in a field called grid generation. When an engineer designs an airplane wing, he or she has to solve equations that model the air flow over the wing to determine the best wing shape.