Kathleen A. Ireland obtained her B.S. from the University of Alabama while gaining experience working both for a major pharmaceutical company and for a Marine Sciences Foundation in Florida. She continued her education at the University of Alabama, earning an M.S. in Marine Sciences in 1981. After a few years working for an agricultural genetics corporation and giving birth to two sons, Kathleen returned to school, earning a Ph.D. from Iowa State University while teaching their Human Biology course. She later moved to Maui where she currently resides while teaching human biology for the University of Hawaii, Maui Community College. Kathleen is a member of a number of academic organizations, including the AACE, where she serves on their editorial board. She has been a contributing author on both anatomy and anatomy and physiology premedical textbooks and several grants including a multi-year HAIS / HCF grant to enhance the school-wide teaching of 21st-century skills.