Pille has a background in ecology and ethology.  After finishing her doctorate studies in Berkeley half a century ago, she began her professional life as a research associate at the University of British Columbia, followed by nearly two decades as an international environmental consultant. Leaving the consulting field, she taught postgraduate courses in systems methods and systems thinking at Royal Roads University for a further couple of decades and became active with several professional systems societies (ASC, ISSS and CybSoc).