Hillary grew up on the East Coast but moved to Texas 34 years ago to teach at the University of Texas at Austin in the Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering. Her work with undergraduate and graduate students brought her into contact with the many environmental issues of the past few decades. As head of the Technical Communication program, she collaborated with her fellow faculty members to research and write about problems such as: environmental impact of floods and droughts, contaminants in rivers and coastal systems, pollutants in soil and groundwaters, and the sustainability of water resources.