Gustafson majored in economics at Smith College where she also earned a master's degree in education. She wrote her Ph.D. thesis for Penn State on Croatian Adolescent Refugees and Their Identity Development in War and Peace, having collected her data in Osijek,Croatia, on a one-year Fulbright Fellowship. During her career, she has taught middle school students in Connecticut and Georgia and college undergraduates and graduates at Piedmont College, the University of Georgia and Penn State-Harrisburg. For the last three years, however, she has been with Penn State Public Broadcasting and was, among other duties, the executive producer of Scholastic Scrimmage.

     Dr Gustafson comes to Lycoming from Penn State University where she served as Executive Producer of Scholastic Scrimmage for the PSU Public Broadcasting group. Gustafson brings Lycoming students myriad teaching experiences from middle schools in Connecticut to graduate education students at the University of Georgia. Gustafson will teach Elementary Math and Science Methods, Intro to the Study of Education, and supervise Elementary Education.