Farris began her career with the Department of Corrections in July 1999, working as a correctional officer and classification and treatment officer at Luther Luckett Correctional Complex. She transferred to the Division of Probation and Parole as an officer in Jefferson County's District 17 in 2000 and then to District 18 in 2004. She was promoted to assistant supervisor in District 18 in 2012, and then to supervisor of the district in 2016. During her years of service, Farris has maintained a variety of specialized caseloads, including sex offenders, probationers, and parolees.

Farris has served as an Equal Employment Opportunity representative and as a member of the American Correctional Association Mock Audit Team. She is a Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) investigator for the Northern Region and completed Achieving Performance Excellence training in 2012. In addition, she is a 2006 and 2012 graduate of the Commissioner's Executive Leadership Program.

A 1998 graduate of Murray State University, Farris earned her bachelor's degree in criminal justice with a minor in sociology. In 2012, she received her master's degree in business administration with an emphasis in human resources from Indiana-Wesleyan University.