Dr. Valencia is an assistant professor in Maxine Goodman Levin School of . Her research focuses on municipal budgeting and finance, property valuation impacts, property wealth redistribution and the economics of nonprofits. She earned her Ph.D.  at the University of North Texas, where she specialized in Public Financial Management.

Prior to her academic career, Dr. Prentice served as the Deputy Accountant General in the Treasury Department and as a Finance Officer in the Ministry of Finance, Anguilla, W.I. She also was a consultant in the Ministry of Finance for the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis, W.I.

Dr. Prentice is currently conducting research on the economic impact of expenditures by local governments and nonprofits on property values, and their effect on the redistribution of property wealth. She is passionate about research on local public organizations because she understands the important impacts that the provision of public and quasi-public services have on the future of our communities. One of her research projects is a collaboration project that investigates the economic and social benefits of the Affordable Home Ownership Program administered by the Greater Cleveland . The results of the study are intended to inform policymakers about the economic and social contributions of nonprofits to local economies, such as generating community wealth, sustaining property values, and stabilizing neighborhoods.