Boardman was born c. 1942, and grew up in Pennsylvania.[1] She earned a bachelor's degree from Bucknell University, and a master's degree from Rutgers University.[4]
She was affiliated with the department of statistics at Colorado State University beginning in the early 1970s,[5] and became an instructor for their introductory statistics courses in the 1970s and 1980s, also teaching in mechanical engineering and business.[2] Returning to graduate study, she completed a doctorate in mechanical engineering from Colorado State University in 1986, with a dissertation applying statistical quality measures to solar power.[1] She became the first woman at Colorado State to earn this degree.[1][2] After completing her doctorate, she became a statistical consultant,[1][2] naming her firm Boardman Associates.[1]
She survived a bout of breast cancer in 2004, and died on October 11, 2018, of pancreatic cancer.[1]