Dr. Catherine (Cath) Kleier earned her Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Her doctoral research focused on convergent evolution and the ecophysiology of the cushion plant growth form in California and Chile.

Dr. Kleier dedicated two decades to teaching biology, ecology, and environmental science, primarily at Regis University in Denver, Colorado. She received a National Geographic award in 2013 and was named a Fulbright Scholar to New Zealand in 2014. The following year, she was honored as the Carnegie Foundation Colorado Professor of the Year. In 2023, Dr. Kleier joined Metropolitan State University of Denver as the Associate Vice President of Faculty Affairs, where she leads initiatives in faculty recruitment, development, and retention. In 2024, she represented MSU Denver in the inaugural Kazakhstan–U.S. University Consortium. She further advanced her leadership credentials by completing the WICHE (Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education) Academic Leadership Academy in 2025. Dr. Kleier is also the author of two popular Great Courses® series on plant biology and plant identification.