Catherine Baillie Abidi is a scholarly practitioner who bridges community and academia. She has twenty years experience working in the humanitarian field, particularly in the areas of forced migration, peace and conflict, and refugee settlement. She holds a PhD (2015) in Educational Studies from St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, Canada and has published work on refugee settlement and policies in Atlantic Canada, migration and gender, and the changing landscape of political discourse on forced migration. Catherine has led many community-based programs focused on settlement and integration, including creating a refugee-centred storytelling program and a Girl Guide unit specifically organized for girls with refugee backgrounds.