Ms. Putman-Hughes graduated from UW-Oshkosh with a BS in Geology in 2008 and from the University of Missouri in 2010 with an MS in Paleoclimatology and a graduate minor in College Science Teaching. After graduating Ms. Putman-Hughes worked for Samson Resources, Apache Corp., Orca Resources, and Staghorn Petroleum I-II. In 2020 she leveraged her experience working in privately owned companies in energy to moving into the growing renewable industry. During her tenure in the energy industry she helped manage the sale of assets over $640 million for Staghorn Petroleum, lead the science data gathering for her companies, and efficiently managed staff in the office and field.