Kathy was "discovered" in her hometown at age 17 by a scout from the Elite modeling agency. While her high school graduating class went to Disneyland the day after commencement, she flew to Rome for her first big modeling assignment.

Three years later, in 1984, Kathy hit the big time, appearing in SPORTS ILLUSTRATED's Swimsuit Edition. She has since graced the cover of SI's swimsuit edition -- its most popular issue each year -- three times and has appeared in that edition a record eleven times. Her own swimsuit calendars are among the best-selling calendars in the country.