Valerie began studying cliff swallows in 2003, and did her Ph.D. research on how an arthropod-borne virus, Buggy Creek virus, affects cliff swallows and introduced house sparrows that occupy cliff swallow colonies. She received a B.S. in biology from Northeastern State University in 2004 and a Ph.D. in biology from the University of Tulsa in 2009,. Her research interests are in avian behavioral ecology and ecological entomology, and in 2008 she received the Research Recognition Award from the Wildlife Disease Association. Valerie is currently a collaborator on our study of cliff swallow diet and changes in the insect food base, and was part of the 2024 expedition to Argentina to see cliff swallows on the wintering grounds.