Kimberly was born into a Presbyterian family; her father was a minister. She studied Communication Arts at Grove City College in Pennsylvania, graduating in 1979. She married fellow student Scott Hahn on 18 August that year. She then worked as a secretary for a year while Scott began studies for a Master of Divinity degree at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. She enrolled the following year, and earned a Master of Arts in Theology in 1982.