UPCOMING EVENTS
Dr Catherine Finger is an executive and leadership coach, coach educator, mentor coach, and accredited coach supervisor with more than four decades of experience in leadership, education, and organizational development.
A former school superintendent and experienced executive leader, Catherine combines firsthand experience leading complex organizations with master-level coaching expertise. She partners with leaders and coaches to navigate complexity, deepen self-awareness, and translate insight into meaningful action.
Known for her warmth, curiosity, directness, and thoughtful challenge, Catherine creates reflective spaces where individuals can explore who they are, how they lead, and who they are becoming.
Catherine holds a Doctorate in Instructional Leadership (Ed.D.), International Coaching Federation Master Certified Coach (MCC) credential, European Mentoring and Coaching Council supervision accreditation (ESIA) and Senior Practitioner (SP) designation, and National Board Certification in Health and Wellness Coaching (NBC-HWC).
She has also earned the ICF Mentor Coaching Specialization (MCS), ICF Coaching Supervision Specialization (CSS), and Advanced Accredited Mentor Coach (AAMC) designation. These advanced qualifications reflect her commitment to excellence in mentor coaching, coaching supervision, and the continuing development of professional coaches.
Catherine’s career encompasses executive leadership, organizational consulting, executive coaching, professional education, and coach development. Before establishing her coaching and consulting practice, she served in senior educational leadership positions, including 12 years as a school superintendent.
She teaches in coach education and professional development programs encompassing coaching theory, knowledge, skills, mentor coaching, supervision, and reflective practice. In addition to her executive coaching, she also provides individual and group mentor coaching and coaching supervision to practitioners at various stages of their professional journeys.
Catherine’s approach is relational, reflective, strengths-based, and grounded in the belief that meaningful development begins with awareness. She integrates thoughtful inquiry, strategic thinking, and practical application to support leadership transitions, professional identity development, organizational change, and increasingly effective leadership.
In mentor coaching and supervision, she invites practitioners to move beyond demonstrating competence toward embodying deeper presence, intentionality, and reflective mastery.
An experienced educator, facilitator, and presenter, Catherine designs engaging learning experiences that connect research, reflection, and real-world application. Her professional writing explores coaching presence, reflective practice, leadership, professional identity, and the developmental journey from competence toward mastery.
She is the creator of Pathways to Presence™: A Reflective Practice Journal for Coaches, incorporating her Integrated Coaching Presence Framework™ and NEST Model of Reflective Presence™. Catherine is also the author of the award-winning Jo Oliver mystery series.
Catherine has served on numerous local, state, and national boards. Her contributions have earned numerous honors, including multiple Executive Coach of the Year awards, Superintendent of the Year and Superintendent of Distinction recognition, and the Key to the City of Grayslake.
As President-Elect of ICF New England and a licensed volunteer law enforcement chaplain, she is committed to strengthening professional communities and expanding access to leadership coaching.
When she’s not working, writing, or traveling, you’ll find Catherine on the back of a horse, hiking, golfing, or laughing with a warm circle of family and friends.
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