Professor of Merchandising in the School of Communication at Northern Arizona University. She earned her bachelor's and master's degrees in merchandising at Colorado State University and a PhD in merchandising at Texas Tech University. As a Fairchild author, she has written books on event planning, fashion promotion, and the writing process. Her research interests relate to tourism retailing and the American Southwest. She has published articles on souvenir phenomena, national park entrepreneurs, and themed retailing for journals including the Journal of Travel Research, Tourism Management, Journal of Vacation Marketing, Collegiate Retailing Association Proceedings, and Clothing and Textiles Research Journal. Additionally, she has had works published in the Field Guide to Case Study Research in Tourism, Hospitality, and Leisure; Tourism Souvenirs on the Margins: Global Perspectives; and Africa and Beyond: Arts and Development among other works in press.