American model, actress, designer and entrepreneur, Kathy Ireland has become a household name for her business endeavors and philanthropic work. Ireland began her modeling career at just seventeen when she was discovered by an agent from Elite Model Management Company and shot to fame after modeling in thirteen consecutive swimsuit issues of Sports Illustrated. She’s also graced the covers of Vogue, Cosmopolitan, Forbes and Mademoiselle. As an actress, she is known for her roles in Loaded Weapon 1, Alien from L.A. and Necessary Roughness.

It wasn’t long after her modeling career took off that she began her venture into other markets. In 1990, she started the Kathy Ireland Mentor Program for Single Teen Mothers in L.A. She is the founder, CEO and chief designer of Kathy Ireland Worldwide, a brand marketing firm that has become a multi-billion-dollar company—one of the world’s most valuable global licensors—with over 15,000 products on the market since its foundation in 1993. From 1993 to 2003, kiWW had an exclusive relationship with Kmart, and after cutting ties the company expanded into product categories including Home, Fashion Apparel, Wedding, Fine Jewelry, Baby, Children’s Toys and Books, Publishing, Pet Care, Crafts and more.

Not only is Ireland a savvy businesswoman, she is also a major philanthropist who is involved with various charities and non-profit organizations dedicated to education, emergency response and training for children, and disease research and management. For her contributions she was presented an honorary degree of the Doctorate of Humane Letters by California State University in 2012 and awarded the Withit 2013 Legacy Award in 2013.