Catherine grew up in Tehran, Iran, moving to Pennsylvania upon graduating high school to attend the University of Pittsburgh. She was soon accepted into the School of the Art Institute of Chicago when she met and, after a few months of long-distance dating, married her husband, John Farahi, now CEO of Monarch Casino & Resort Inc., the parent company of Reno’s Atlantis Casino Resort Spa.

Mrs. Farahi moved to Reno where she finished her degrees in visual arts and music and began to sing with the Nevada Opera. She remains an artist at heart as a calligrapher, sculptor, and painter (in acrylic, oil, pencil, and silk art). Mrs. Farahi has four now-grown children, some of which were members of the Reno Phil Youth Orchestras. Mrs. Farahi is also a former member the Reno Phil Board of Trustees.