Connie earned a B. Ed. in 1980 from the University of Alberta and taught English Language Arts for five years at the J. A. Williams High School (JAWS) in Lac La Biche, AB. She moved to Portage College, also in Lac La Biche, in 1985 to teach high school-level English courses in the Adult Upgrading program. Ten years later, Connie returned to JAWS, and after earning a M. Ed. in Educational Psychology from the University of Alberta in 2001, began counselling high school students with personal, as well as academic difficulties. In 2005, Connie registered as a Provisional Psychologist with the College of Alberta Psychologists and began doing psychoeducational testing and assessment for Northern Lights School Division (NLSD). She became a Registered Psychologist in 2007 and provided assessment, consultation, and educational services to staff and students throughout NLSD until her retirement in June 2014.