She earned a bachelor's degree in liberal arts in 1987 from Harvard Extension School. She graduated cum laude from Harvard Law School in 1990, where she founded the Harvard Battered Women's Advocacy Project, the Harvard Women in Prison Project, and the Harvard Children and Family Rights Project.[3]
She is co-founder of the University of Texas Voices Against Violence program to provide services for victims of sexual assault, relationship violence, and stalking. She also co-founded the interdisciplinary University of Texas Institute on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault. She is the faculty supervisor for the Survivor Support Network (SSN) and the student group, Society Encouraging Excellence Through Diversity (SEED).[3]
Buel formerly served as special counsel for the Texas District and County Attorneys Association. She was a prosecutor for six years, most of that time in Quincy, Massachusetts. Earlier, Buel served as a victim advocate, state policy coordinator and as a paralegal.[3]
She is the author of more than 30 articles and the recipient of numerous awards.[3]
She narrated the 1992 Academy Award-winning documentary "Defending Our Lives". In 1996, NBC called her one of the five most inspiring women in America.[3]
