Coach Peterson came to Coe in August of 2006. In just her second season, she led the Kohawks to a 20-8 record, the most wins in school history. Coe also won their first Iowa Conference Tournament game, while advancing to the tournament championship game for the first time ever. It was the second-straight tournament appearance for Coe under Peterson, while it was the fourth-straight for the program.

Peterson, a 2001 graduate of the University of Iowa, spent one season as the head coach at the University of Minnesota-Morris. The Cougars were 16-10 in 2005-2006 and Peterson was named the UMAC Coach of the Year.

Before being named the head coach at Morris, Peterson was an assistant coach for two years for the Cougars. Prior to her arrival at Morris, the Cougars were 1-26. She helped improve the records to 13-14, 10-15, and 16-10 over the next three seasons.

Peterson, a native of Cedar Falls, Iowa, worked as a volunteer girls' basketball coach at Athens (Ohio) High School while serving as a graduate teaching assistant. She helped Athens to a conference championship, a 19-5 record, and their first sub-state appearance in 10 years.

As a player, Peterson was a three-year starter and team captain for the Iowa Hawkeyes. She was a member of two Big Ten championship and NCAA Tournament squads. She led her team and the Big Ten in rebounding and double-doubles her senior season. She was first team All-Big Ten and made the Big Ten all-tournament team in 2001. Peterson was also an Academic All-Big Ten selection. The Hawkeyes finished the 2001 season ranked 16th in the country.