Catherine has worked in adult education for over 35 years as an ESL teacher, curriculum developer, and professional development specialist.  Through the PDN, Catherine provides training and technical assistance in ESL standards, curriculum, ESL methodology, workforce preparation, IELCE, and citizenship preparation. She is a certified CASAS trainer and conducts assessment training for the state.

Catherine recently served as an IELCE coach to several states as part of OCTAE’s Building Opportunities through Integrated English Literacy and Civics Education (IELCE) three-year project. She has extensive experience in curriculum development including co-authoring Community Connections: Education for Involved Communities, an EL-Civics curriculum produced through a federal grant.  Catherine developed several naturalization modules for ELCivicsOnline, a joint project of the U.S. Department of Education and the USCIS Office of Citizenship.  Through a federal family literacy grant, Catherine co-authored Parents as Educational Partners: A School-Related Curriculum for Language Minority Parents.  She has also published numerous commercial textbooks for adult and secondary English learners.

Catherine is a former Fulbright lecturer and a past president of Illinois TESOL BE. Catherine has served on the Editorial Advisory Board of the TESOL Journal and as a manuscript reviewer for the Adult Basic Education and Literacy Journal. She holds a master’s degree in Linguistics/TESOL and a degree from the University of Paris IV, Sorbonne.