Ohland graduated from Swarthmore College with a double major in engineering and biology.
Continuing her studies, she earned a master's degree in anatomy from the University of Chicago.
[1][2] As a biomechanical engineer, she researched the mechanical properties and injuries to ligaments at the University of Pittsburgh's Orthopaedic Biomechanics Lab and Musculoskeletal Research Center from 1986 to 1993.
[1] Shifting to a career in museum administration, she worked as a finance administrator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York for almost 13 years before, in 2012, moving to the Princeton University Art Museum as associate director for finances and operations.
[2] She continues to work for the museum as a senior associate director.