Waters is the founder and Managing Editor of NJER. Waters grew up in New York, the daughter of two New York City public school educators, and attended public schools and universities.

While at SUNY Binghamton, she taught writing to low-income students of color through an Educational Opportunity Program. She and her husband moved to New Jersey 30 years ago and have four children, the youngest with multiple disabilities.

While serving 12 years on her local school board (10 as president), Waters started NJ Left Behind and wrote for various platforms, focusing on a state education system that privileges the privileged and undercuts opportunities for marginalized communities.

These inequities drive her work.