Misty was born in 1963 in Homestead, PA. She attended Elizabeth Forward High School, then California University of Pennsylvania. While at Cal U., she received a BS in Secondary Education (English); then an M.Ed. in Education Administration (K-12); and finally an MS in Instructional Technology at Bloomsburg University in Pennsylvania. Misty currently works for the Pittsburgh Public Schools. She has three children: Kaeleigh Alyssa (born in 2001); Brendan Connor (born in 1996); and Ian Gunnar (born in 1993).