Catherine’s love for nature and the outdoors is rooted in being around the food and flower gardens her parents and grandparents tended in their yards and her access to nature-exploring along the creek near her childhood home. While working towards her doctorate in Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation at Virginia Tech she researched the ecological and social benefits of food forests across the United States as a design strategy that brings multiple benefits to communities and residences such as food production, wildlife habitat, pollinator support, stormwater management, and creating spaces for people to reconnect to each other and Nature. She has since consulted, designed and shared her knowledge about the practice by authoring The Community Food Forest Handbook: How to Plan, Organize, and Nurture Edible Gathering Places.