Cate earned her interior design degree from Michigan State University in 1983. After working as an interior designer and learning AutoCAD, she started her own contract design business in 1985.
In 1989, she joined CAP as a trainer and support specialist. That experience began a career helping designers make better use of the software they work with every day.
Her perspective reaches beyond individual tools. She understands the connection between the person using the software, the products they are specifying, and the teams developing those tools. Today, she works with designers, dealers, manufacturers, and software developers to make that connection clearer.