Haviland, a resident of New York State, graduated Cum Laude from Yale University in 1980 and received her M.F.A. in 1987 from Hunter College in New York City. She currently teaches at John Jay College, CUNY, and Marymount College in Westchester. Haviland has earned many awards and fellowships for her work, including grants from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts and the Puffin Foundation, and residencies at Yaddo, Sculpture Space, and Skowhegan. Her sculptures have been exhibited in numerous galleries, parks, and museums, most recently at the Hudson River Museum in Yonkers, the L&B Viewing Room in Portland, Oregon, and Lake View Cemetery in Cleveland, Ohio. Several of her public artworks and commissions can be seen at educational institutions in the tri-state region.