I received my BS in Biology and in Chemistry from Upper Iowa University (1988), and both my MS in Forest Ecology (1990) and PhD in Plant Ecology (1996) from Southern Illinois University. Those degrees focused on plant community classification, succession and fire ecology in eastern deciduous forests. My first academic position was at the University of Memphis (1998-2008), where I focused on floodplain ecology, exotic species ecology, and clonal plant ecology. I have also had the privilege to develop research in Finland (fire ecology), China (river ecology), Slovakia (clonal ecology) and Belize (landscape & community ecology).