Cathy graduated with a BA in Elementary Education from Wilkes University and with a Masters of Arts degree in Elementary Education from Southern Connecticut State University. Cathy holds an additional Masters of Arts degree in Reading/Language Arts from SCSU. She is certified in Remedial Reading and holds a certificate as a Reading Consultant. In addition, Cathy holds a Reading Recovery certificate from UCONN.

Cathy has served as an educator for 37 years in urban, suburban, Catholic and public-school settings as a classroom teacher and in leadership roles throughout her career. She also served as a Staff Developer at The Columbia Teachers College Reading and Writing Project, a field-based research think-tank at Columbia University in New York City. In this role, she supported K-2 teachers and administrators across the country in the implementation of the workshop model. 

Cathy also serves as an adjunct faculty member at Sacred Heart University and has been a board member for the Madison Public Schools since 2018.