Tamara graduated from Northern Arizona University in 1995 with a BS in Forensic Chemistry (Criminalistics). She joined the Drug Enforcement Administration's South Central Laboratory in 1997 and continued her career until retirement in 2015. She is very active in the Southwestern Association of Forensic Scientist (SWAFS) organization, where she was on the Board of Directors from 2005-2007, 2008-2010, 2011-2013, President-Elect 2014, President 2015, Chairman of Board, and most recently, Secretary. She went back to graduate school and received her Masters of Science in Forensic Science in August 2022 from Oklahoma State University. After retirement from the DEA, she joined Waters Technologies as a Chemistry Specialist and assists customers with chromatography challenges.