Dr. Kelly Mack received her Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) in Biology and later the PhD degree from Howard University in Physiology. She returned to UMES in 1995 as an Assistant Professor. Currently, she is a Professor of Biology in the Department of Natural Sciences, making her the first African American woman and the first woman ever to be promoted to that rank in the history of the Department of Natural Sciences at UMES.

Dr. Mack has had extensive training in the area of cancer research. During her tenure as a graduate student at Howard University, she was involved in ongoing studies related to the cellular accumulation of cisplatin, an antitumor agent, in estrogen-sensitive and -insensitive human breast cancer cells in the presence of terbium, a lanthanide metal and calcium channel blocker. At Howard, she developed expertise in sterile tissue culture techniques, fluorescence spectroscopy, and atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Since then, her research efforts have varied in focus over the past several years to include mechanisms of androgen regulation of prostate tumor cells as well as the use of demethyltransferase inhibitors and histone deacetylase agents in inducing the re-expression of the estrogen receptor in human breast tumor cells. Most recently, Dr. Mack's research has focused on the use of bioflavonoids in the regulation of proliferation of estrogen receptor positive (ER+) and estrogen receptor negative (ER-) breast tumor cells. To address this research goal, Dr. Mack has established the UMES Genomics Facility, which utilizes microarray technology for determining global gene expression patterns.

Dr. Mack not only has a professional commitment to cancer research, but also teaching and academic leadership. As a member of the Board of Governors for the National Council on Undergraduate Research, an organization which is dedicated to promoting undergraduate research, scholarship, and creative activity in all fields of study, Dr. Mack has a vital role in facilitating the improvement of the state of undergraduate education in the US. As the Biology Program Group Leader at UMES, Dr. Mack provides leadership and strategic vision for the intellectual, educational, and professional development of biology majors. Dr. Mack also provides leadership in coordinating faculty associated with the Biology Program in providing quality instruction, research, and development activities. During her tenure at UMES, Dr. Mack has served as Principal Investigator, Director or Co-Director for several externally funded projects that have totaled over $12 million dollars. These include the UMES Minority Access to Research Careers (MARC) and Minority Biomedical Research Support (MBRS) Programs, sponsored by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences; the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Undergraduate Program; the University of Maryland Center of Excellence for Health Disparities; the University of Maryland Partnership in Cancer Research and Outreach; and the recently funded UMES ADVANCE Program, which has as its mission to increase the representation and advancement of women in academic science and engineering careers.