Ann Pulver McElroy joined the faculty of the University at Buffalo's Department of Anthropology in 1971. She was promoted to associate professor in 1977. McElroy earned a B.A. (1966) from the University of Kansas at Lawrence and a Ph.D. (1973) from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, both in anthropology. Throughout her career at UB, McElroy served on a number of departmental and university-wide committees. She retired from UB in 2014.