Kathleen Browne grew up in Los Angeles and received her BA in Crafts (Jewelry/Metals) from San Diego State University in 1983 and her MFA (Jewelry/Metalsmithing) from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale in 1986. She is Professor Emerita at Kent State University where she headed the Jewelry/Metals/Enameling Program from 1992-2015.  Her artwork has been exhibited widely both in the U.S. and abroad at such venues as Schmuck: International Jewelry Fair Munich; Museum of Arts and Design, NYC; The British Crafts Council, London; and Sieraad: International Jewellery Fair, Amsterdam and the Victoria &Albert Museum, London. Her work is in the collections of a number of museums, most notably, the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. and the Museum of Arts and Design, NYC. 

Browne’s work has been featured in 17 books and reviewed and/or reproduced in numerous publications including a cover and feature article in Metalsmith magazine.  She has written reviews, articles and catalogue essays for various publications and has delivered papers at conferences and symposia such as the Society of North American Goldsmiths (3); the College Art Association (2); the International Symposium of Contemporary Craft, Tainan National University, Taiwan; and the International Enamel Symposium at the University of the West of England, Bristol, UK. She is the recipient five Artist Fellowship Grants from the Ohio Arts Council and is a Distinguished Scholar at Kent State University.