Chapter Representative
Catherine became involved with AMIGOS when her older
son, Ted, joined as a volunteer with plans to spend his summer in Paraguay. A
travel junkie, she learned that she could go on the Chapter Leaders’ Trip to
Bolivia that summer if she agreed to be a local chapter board member. She
quickly signed up. That summer, AMIGOS did its magic. Ted flourished in Paraguay
without any outside help, and in Bolivia, Catherine had an epiphany about the
power of youth. Both were hooked!
Ted went on to volunteer a second year in Honduras,
supervise volunteers in the Dominican Republic, and serve as an Associate Project Director
in Nicaragua. Catherine became Chapter President of the Chicago North Board for
two years, and traveled on another Chapter Leader’s Trip – this time to
Paraguay. She is now serving her third year as Chapter Representative on the
International Board, and represents chapter interests in a variety of board
committees.
Catherine grew up in San Francisco, CA, and received a
BA from Santa Clara University and an MA in Education from the University of
Wisconsin. She taught special education in Madison, Wisconsin, and then moved
to Chicago to apply her skills in the business world. She worked as an
instructional designer for several firms, one at which she met her future
husband. After their two children were born, Catherine and her husband started
a custom training design and consulting firm, which they have been operating for
the last twenty years. Catherine designs training for banks, insurance
companies, pharmaceuticals, and food service companies in the areas of sales,
management, customer service, and product knowledge.
Inspired by the talents and dedication of those she has
met through AMIGOS, Catherine has been working hard to learn to speak the
Spanish language. She currently volunteers with the Evanston Department of
Health, serving as a translator for English-speaking nurses visiting
Spanish-speaking homes.
Catherine lives with her husband, Tom Carmichael, in
Evanston, Illinois, where they raised their two sons, Ted and
Jack.
