Flannery began working with higher education institutions — both large and small — over a decade ago. Her positions have ranged from lead marketing and publicity writer for the global outreach office of a US university to editor at a large university press in China. Flannery earned an MA in composition and has gained diverse professional experience writing, marketing, and translating both offline and online content for a variety of industries such as publishing, photography, and non-profits. She has lived, studied, and worked in large cities across China and has a strong command of Mandarin Chinese.