Catherine has over 17 years of classroom and educational leadership experience. Catherine holds a B.A. in Biology from Boston University and an M. Ed. from the University of Massachusetts. She completed a CAGS in Leading and Learning in a Competency-Based System at Southern New Hampshire University; this program was a product of a collaboration between Southern New Hampshire University and 2Revolutions. 

 Starting her career in Massachusetts, she was recruited out of college by the Department of Education to help fill the growing need for highly qualified science educators. During her four years at North Andover High School, she taught Biology, Anatomy and Physiology, and AP Biology. In 2009, Catherine joined the faculty at Marshwood High School in South Berwick, ME. There she expanded her experience to teach Physical Science and Chemistry. After moving to Maine, she joined a team that consisted of educators from three states, industry leaders, higher education, and representatives from the Boston Museum of Science to investigate strategies for improving STEM education for all students. The team created model lessons that integrated engineering practices into science content to improve critical thinking and establish more equitable opportunities for participation in higher-level science classes. This project culminated in a  STEM Education Summit for district leadership from across northern New England. In 2015, Catherine joined Traip Academy in Kittery, Maine. With a community mandate for transformation, Catherine was part of the leadership team that drove the change process. Her classroom served as the pilot program, where they prototyped and revised CBE policies and student-centered practices that eventually were implemented school-wide. Catherine worked with district leadership to help facilitate community outreach related to the transformation process, led professional development, and coached teachers on creating the school’s competency framework. Most recently, Catherine served as the Science Department Head at Exeter High School in Exeter, NH where she also served an instructional and curriculum coach. In addition to being a New Hampshire NGSX trainer, she has led district professional development around building a Competency Framework and integrating 21st Century Skills and dispositions. 

As a Coach for 2Revolutions, Catherine has co-facilitated state-level professional learning communities focused on leveraging performance assessment as evidence of graduation readiness and served as an adjunct professor for Spalding University. Catherine will be leveraging her passions and experiences in implementing competency-based, student-centered learning to support our Graduate programs and Communities of Practice.

How do you think about catalyzing change?

As a former science educator, I see education as a design challenge. In order to realize the schools and systems that students need, we need to approach it from the perspective of an engineering challenge. There is no one right answer, no book with a recipe for success.  Instead, it is about understanding the unique needs and assets of the community, and designing the just fit for that particular school. In order to catalyze change, we need to bring together the right group of people. We need visioners who can imagine and define what is needed, the messengers who can share the story and bring others into the work, the architects who can design the infrastructure and needed support, and the innovators who can see past existing barriers and begin to prototype. Most importantly, we need to include those who are most impacted by the change- the learners themselves. We often think about changing schools and systems for students, but designing with students is the greatest catalyst for change I have experienced.  

What inspires you most about this work?

In my work with 2Revolutions, I have the opportunity to work with educators across the country in a wide range of roles, each pushing practice and systems in whatever ways they can. While policy work is critical to true transformation, it is the small everyday shifts that I find inspiring- the stories from classroom educators who are rethinking personal practice and being innovative within existing constraints in order to better meet the needs of their students. It is these individual stories of one educator who built a connection with a disengaged student, reimagined assessment to be more meaningful, opened the door for students to learn with and from their community, positions students to construct knowledge rather than simply receive it that inspire me. Through their commitment to innovation and realizing the potential of each of their students, there are learners who see themselves differently, see their futures differently, and will have an impact on society in a different way than if they were not supported by that educator.