Running for Marana Unified School Board
Cathie earned her bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education with a focus on Vocational Home Economics from Northwest Missouri State University. She taught for four years in Lathrop, MO, during which time she also completed her master’s in Secondary Vocational Guidance and Counseling from the same institution. Cathie then served as a guidance counselor at East Buchanan High School in Gower, MO, for two years and at Spring Garden Middle School in the St. Joseph School District for one year. Returning to her passion for teaching, she spent ten years at Benton High School in St. Joseph before relocating to Tucson, AZ, where she taught Early Childhood Education at Marana Mountain View High School for 13 years. In 1998, while teaching full-time, she was appointed Director of Career and Technical Education (CTE) for the Marana Unified School District. She became the full-time CTE director in 2007, a role she held for ten years. Cathie has contributed to numerous statewide CTE committees, including the Arizona Department of Education Quality Commission, the Arizona Department of Education Career Ready Stakeholders, the Education Advisory Committee for the Pima County Joint Technical District, and the Pima Community College Advisory Committee for Early Childhood Education. She is also a member of ACOVA and ACTEAZ. In 2014, Cathie was recognized as the Arizona Outstanding Administrator by ACTEAZ. In 2018, she received the ACTEAZ Bernard Stewart Distinguished Service Award for advocating for special populations in CTE, and in 2023, she was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award. In April 2017, Cathie was appointed Deputy Associate Superintendent and State CTE Director for the Arizona Department of Education, a position she held for six years. Currently, she is a CTE professional development trainer in the Tucson Unified School District, where she works with new CTE teachers and assists in developing equitable curriculum across the district.