Cathy completed a Bachelor of Engineering (Materials) and Arts before discovering the fascinating and diverse field of conservation. She received a Masters in Applied Science (Conservation of Cultural Materials), University of Canberra, in 2003, and holds a Graduate Diploma in Cultural Heritage Management, Deakin University.
Cathy worked at the National Gallery of Australia and the National Museum of Australia before joining the Queensland Museum in late 2011. At QM she has worked on various projects ranging from Mephisto and large-scale gallery and storage redevelopments, to repatriation of Indigenous rock carvings, and more recently is developing a system for environmental reporting and analysis across the Queensland Museum Network.