Barbara is a lecturer at the University of Idaho, her alma mater. She attended the UI from 1996 until 2005, earning a B.S. in Secondary Education, a M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction and a M.A. in English. After attending Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona for three years, Barbara returned to Moscow with her husband and two children, where she works with the Vandal Marching Band and teaches business writing.