Catherine Kleier
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.
INCLUDE
Plants? What Plants?
Learn about plant blindness and why it’s so pervasive. Understand how to identify ten common families of plants using only your observational skill. While there may be a quiz, there won’t be grade, so don’t be afraid to meet the plants.
Extreme Botany
What are the biggest, oldest, highest, smelliest, outliers of the botanical world? Take this tour with Dr. Kleier as she tells the story of several fascinating record holders of botany. She’ll share the latest research and some common misconceptions about these fascinating plants.
Natura Revelata
This phrase comes from the Latin root word for nature and reveal, but it also sounds like revel, which we can do in nature. Learn about Dr. Kleier’s Natura Revelata philosophy and how it was inspired, which includes Jesuits, alpine botany, and the observation of common plants and animals in Colorado.
New Zealand – 100% Pure
Join Dr. Kleier as she travelogues through her trips to New Zealand. Learn the stories of some fascinating plants (and birds!) that occur nowhere else on earth. Understand what makes this Colorado-sized island nation so unique.
Colorado Alpine Botany
Dr. Kleier is an alpine botanist, which means she specializes in plants that grow above the treeline. Learn what causes treeline and why certain types of plants flourish in this challenging environment. Then, take a visual tour to see some of these colorful beauties.