I was born in Erie, Pennsylvania. I received my BA in Art Education from Mercyhurst University and my MFA in Ceramics and Ceramic Sculpture with a Minor in Photography from the School for American Crafts at Rochester Institute of Technology.

After graduate school I returned to the Erie area and moved outside of the city to Fairview, Pa. where I also have my studio. I retired in 2020 as Professor of Art after having taught art at Mercyhurst University for 40 years. I was named Professor Emeritus in 2022. I was the Director of the Art Department from 1992 to 2001 and Chair of the Art Department from 2003 to 2008,  2013-14 and 2018-19.

My resume includes over 20 awards in national and regional exhibitions including a Pennsylvania Council of Arts Grant and a National Endowment for the Arts/Mid-Atlantic Art Foundation Regional Fellowship. I currently show my work in juried and invitational exhibitions and in regional galleries. I have had fourteen one-person shows in the last twenty years.