Catherine has a M.S. in Biological Engineering and 17 years of manufacturing experience spanning a wide range of industry segments and company demographics. Her private-sector career centered around operational excellence, product development, and leadership within manufacturing companies. This has included everything from the fuzzy front end of consumer and customer insights to prototyping, process development, commercialization/commissioning, and post-launch quality monitoring for some of the industry giants. 

Now, as Center Director of studio\Blu and as a consultant with TechHelp Manufacturing Extension Partnership, she is passionate about putting students to work for the Idaho manufacturing sector. In the last 5 years, she has directly contributed to about $70M in economic impact in the state of Idaho and built a program that develops college students into the experienced new hires that Idaho needs. 

Catherine, her husband, and her three children live in Boise, Idaho.  They stay busy with their huge garden, sports activities, camping, fly fishing, and crafts.