After completing her B.A. in English and Secondary Education at SDSU, Dr. Thurman taught high school English for 30+ years, most of those years at O'Gorman High School and Lincoln High School in Sioux Falls. In 2005, Dr. Thurman completed her M.Ed. in Educational Leadership at USF and in 2009, her Ed.D. in Educational Administration/Adult and Higher Ed at USD. From 2010 through 2021, Dr. Thurman served as the Director of Graduate Education Programs in the Fredrikson School of Education at USF, and during that time was also granted Associate Professor of Education faculty status. Currently, Dr. Thurman is the Director of Graduate Studies, directing the Doctorate in Leadership and overseeing the M.Ed., Ed.S., and MBA programs and a Dissertation Chair.