Monroe was born on December 30, in Houston, Texas. Her parents divorced when she was two, and she was subsequently raised in Hinsdale, Illinois. She studied at Hinsdale Central High School and after graduating moved to New York to pursue a modeling career. In 1995, she appeared in a number of TV commercials and magazine advertisements for L'Oreal hair-care, Disney Resort, Huffy bicycles, Ford cars, and Mattel toys.
In 1996, Monroe made the transition into acting when she was cast as Tracy Dalken in ABC series Dangerous Minds, which led to a small recurring role on Sunset Beach as Rachel a pregnant teenager, eventually leading to her break being cast as part of a series regular on Dawson's Creek in seasons 2 and 3, appeared in several episodes at the beginning and end of season 4, and was a special guest star in the series finale in season 6, though her scenes were cut from the televised episode, appearing only on the DVD extended-cut release.
She is also known for her role in Criminal Minds as Haley Hotchner, Aaron Hotchner's wife. Monroe left the series after her character was murdered by a recurring villain, The Boston Reaper (C. Thomas Howell), in its 100th episode.
