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An Ear For Business

Kate Bolduc; Director Brought Business Savvy To Arts Council

Hartford Courant Editorial

August 01, 2011

Nonprofit organizations, good ones at least, look for leaders who are sympathetic to the mission and who understand the business side of the operation. They search, often in vain, for a Kate Lynch Bolduc.

Ms. Bolduc, executive director of the Greater Hartford Arts Council for the past two years, has an avocational background in music and an extensive background in business, having served as an executive vice president and chief marketing officer for Travelers and vice chairwoman of the Travelers Foundation.

She was a great fit for the arts council, and arrived none too soon, as the economy was headed south on a high-speed train. She responded by moving the organization from Pratt Street to smaller, street-level space at 100 Pearl St., saving some $50,000 a year. She renegotiated the council's vendor contracts and found other savings.

Last year, the council sold the former Hartford Courant Arts Center at 224 Farmington Ave. in Hartford, a financial albatross that had outlived its usefulness. By controlling expenses, she could maximize the dollars going to the 150 arts and heritage groups in the Hartford area that the council supports and maintain the council's website, marketing and event management support for the groups. Despite the still-weak economy, the annual arts drive met its goal of raising $3.3 million.

Ms. Bolduc, a bright and animated woman, has announced she's leaving her post sometime in the next year to pursue other goals. We wish her well, and suggest she consider training people to run nonprofits.