Kristen Kearns has a B.A. in Physics from the University of Chicago, an M.A. from Yale University, and a Ph.D. in Theology from the University of Chicago. She also holds an M.A. in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) from the University of San Francisco, where her thesis work focused on the challenges in identifying neurodivergence in ESOL students and effective pedagogical strategies for supporting those students with learning differences. She has taught undergraduate Religious Studies, Philosophy, and Humanities courses at Phoenix College, Arizona State University, University of Chicago and St. Patrick's Seminary. For the past 14 years, she has served as an associate professor and the director of the Student Learning Center at St. Patrick’s Seminary in Menlo Park, CA. In 2023, she added another “hat” as the Director of Institutional Effectiveness and the ALO for the seminary.