Truly is a retired Environmental Attorney and emeritus member of Georgia State Bar with a Juris Doctor 1976 from Emory University School of Law. Truly's environmental experience included both Superfund and Resource Conservation and Recovery Act issues involving the disposal of solid and hazardous waste.
She retired in 2002 after a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis, now in remission. She stayed home with her children while they were young.
Truly has long been interested in water issues. For recreation, she hikes and has frequently canoed the Verde River through the wilderness section, as well as the Salt River and other rivers throughout the Western US, Alaska and Canada.