With parental encouragement, Kelleher pursued maths and science in secondary school,[2] and chose to study engineering in University College Cork (UCC), being one of just five women in a class of 55.
Kelleher continued electrical engineering studies at Masters level instead of accepting a job offer at Digital in Clonmel, County Tipperary, graduating in 1989.
[citation needed] In 1996 Kelleher joined Intel Ireland in Leixlip, County Kildare, as a process engineer, where she quickly achieved promotion.
Kelleher also site managed Intel's Rio Rancho, New Mexico Fab 11X fabrication facility for a period before finally moving to Portland, Oregon in 2015 where she lives as of 2018.
[8] Her work includes corporate quality assurance, customer fulfillment and supply-chain management, and strategic planning for the company's worldwide manufacturing operations.
"[9] Later that year, Forbes suggested that Kelleher would be well suited to replacing Elon Musk as the Chairman of Tesla, Inc. due to her experience in "high-tech and high-volume manufacturing".