She was formerly Professor of Economics at the University of Missouri–Kansas City, Chief Economist on the U.S.
Senate Budget Committee 2015 minority party staff and an Economic Advisor to Bernie Sanders' 2016 presidential campaign.
She is founder and editor-in-chief of the blog New Economic Perspectives.
She is a leading proponent of Modern Monetary Theory, was named in Current Affairs as a possible future secretary of the treasury, and was named one of Politico's 50 "thinkers, doers and visionaries transforming American politics in 2016." In fall 2019, she joined the board of Matriarch PAC.