Catherine Stern graduated from college in the early 1970s and went on to receive a Ed.M. in Education Policy from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and a J.D from Vermont Law School. Her legal career began at a law firm that represented school districts in New Hampshire primarily with EHA issues that were beginning to appear on the horizon.
Catherine spent several years representing both parents and school districts in Special Education cases before becoming a Special Education hearing officer in the 1980s. In the late 1980s, she moved from New Hampshire to Vermont taking up the role of hearing officer for Home Study and Special Education cases and for a time, a review officer for the Vermont Agency of Education. Since 2020, Catherine has been a mentor for hearing officers within the Agency. Her work for the Vermont Agency of Education ended in June of 2022, but she remains active in working for policy and system improvements in the area of special education hearings.