Student Success & Advising
Academic coaching, progress monitoring, postsecondary planning, individualized support, and family collaboration.
Cathy Drakes · Boston, Massachusetts
Curriculum
Vitae.
Professional Profile
Building systems
that help people thrive.
Accomplished program specialist and educator with extensive experience in student success, academic advising, program management, licensure compliance, institutional partnerships, curriculum design, and community engagement.
Combines organizational rigor with creative thinking, connecting educators, students, families, universities, public agencies, and cultural partners through accessible systems and meaningful learning experiences.
Core Capabilities
Structure.
Strategy.
Imagination.
Program Coordination
Staffing, training, supervision, and delivery across complex educational programs.
Compliance & Data
State licensure processes, certification records, student information systems, and Schoology.
Partnership Building
Government, cultural, higher-education, and community relationships built around shared outcomes.
Strategic Communication
Grant writing, curriculum development, visual storytelling, and executive-level communication.
Creative Technology
Google Workspace, Adobe Creative Cloud, Microsoft 365, educational technology, and AI literacy.
Selected Experience
A career across classrooms, institutions, and communities.
01
2020 — Present
Creative Director, Graphic Designer & EdTech Consultant
Winter Street Studio
- Deliver professional learning and coaching in AI literacy and educational technology, integrating Google Classroom, Adobe Express, Canva, and digital-learning tools into educator practice.
- Create visual identities, publications, and communications for educational programs and community initiatives.
- Manage client relationships, project timelines, grant-development work, and program implementation from concept through completion.
02
2011 — 2019
Supervising Practitioner
Massachusetts College of Art and Design
- Supervise student-teaching practicums aligned with Massachusetts DESE licensure requirements.
- Mentor undergraduate and graduate candidates through more than 300 classroom hours each, supporting degree progression and professional preparation.
- Provide individualized coaching, performance feedback, targeted interventions, and portfolio guidance for successful program completion and licensure readiness.
- Evaluate candidate progress, maintain rigorous documentation, and collaborate with university faculty and school partners.
03
2012 — 2019
Visual Art Teacher & Partnership Coordinator
Boston Public Schools
- Created the school’s first annual K–8 visual arts showcase, expanding the visibility of student work and family participation.
- Secured and managed multiple EdVestors Arts Expansion grants across BPS schools and co-led a Boston Foundation Schoolyard Initiative grant for community-designed outdoor learning spaces.
- Partnered with MassArt’s Looking to Learn program to teach visual literacy through classroom workshops and guided discussions of contemporary art at the MassArt Art Museum (MAAM).
- Built higher-education and community partnerships, mentored MassArt student teachers, and designed inclusive learning for students receiving special-education services.
04
January — June 2025
Visual Art Teacher
Chicopee Public Schools
- Led design courses centered on composition, creative problem-solving, critique, and individual voice.
- Supported academic and career goal-setting through individualized advising, accommodations, progress monitoring, and postsecondary mentorship.
- Collaborated with faculty, administrators, families, and multidisciplinary student-support teams to strengthen engagement and achievement.
Selected Programs & Impact
Access, opportunity, and creative leadership.
01
Selected Initiative
Grant Strategy & Fundraising
Secured and managed multiple EdVestors Arts Expansion grants across BPS schools; co-authored a Boston Foundation Schoolyard Initiative grant and a $25,000 Disney grant supporting integrated arts programming.
02
Selected Initiative
Accessible Public Art
Designed the MABVI Accessible Mural Project, integrating Braille and tactile design for students who are blind or visually impaired.
03
Selected Initiative
Violence-Prevention Murals
Directed students in designing seven public murals for Boston’s Annual Violence Prevention Month through the COMPASS School.
04
Selected Initiative
Curriculum Leadership
Co-authored Expeditionary Learning curriculum with the BPS Arts Working Group and developed interdisciplinary pathways connecting visual art, science, and community learning.
05
Selected Initiative
Thomas W. Payzant School on the Move Prize
Served as lead artist for the prize artwork during the EdVestors program’s first five years, shaping the visual presentation of an annual celebration of improving Boston Public Schools.
06
Selected Initiative
Visual Literacy & College Partnerships
Partnered with MassArt through Looking to Learn, a visual arts education program now operating through the MassArt Art Museum (MAAM), to build visual literacy, inquiry, and critical thinking through classroom workshops and guided engagement with contemporary art; also hosted and mentored MassArt student teachers.
Education & Credentials
Learning is
a lifelong
practice.
- Doctoral Studies in Fine Arts
- Endicott College
- Master of Education
- Cambridge College
- Bachelor of Fine Arts, Film/Media Production
- Massachusetts College of Art and Design
- Professional Educator License
- Massachusetts Visual Art K–12 · #34082
- Google Certified Educator
- Educational technology and digital learning
- SEI & Inclusive Practice
- Sheltered English Immersion · culturally responsive teaching · restorative practices
- Creative Technology
- Adobe Creative Cloud · Google Workspace · Microsoft 365 · Blackboard · Schoology · AI literacy
Selected Artistic Practice
A practicing artist
alongside an educator.
Multidisciplinary studio practice spanning painting, photography, graphic design, and public art. The work explores portraiture, place, visual narrative, material experimentation, and the relationship between observation and expressive mark-making.
View selected artwork →Painting
Portraiture, landscape, architecture, color, and expressive gesture.
Photography
Observational images centered on atmosphere, presence, and visual narrative.
Graphic Design
Identity, publication, communication, and visual storytelling for educational and community initiatives.
Public Art
Collaborative murals and accessible creative experiences connecting art with civic life.