Dr. Burns is committed to guiding Accelerate Institute’s passionate, all women team of educational experts in designing and delivering impactful leadership development programming and strategically scaling the work in order to disrupt the status quo in our broken education system. Focused on improving equity and inclusion in the field of education, the team is committed to supporting school systems to stabilize leadership in order to improve student academics. A Midwesterner at heart, Catherine started her 25+-year career as a high school history and government teacher in Detroit and Chicago and pursued her passion to increase her impact on students, teachers, and families by moving into school leadership. Throughout her various roles at Accelerate Institute, Catherine has leveraged her passion and expertise to drive organizational change.

As President & Chief Academic Officer at Accelerate Institute, Dr. Burns is determined to clear a pathway for the team to thrive individually and collectively, ultimately achieving Accelerate Institute’s mission.