Kate Donnelly
Chief Customer & Marketing Officer
Kate joined Advisory Board for the Arts in the spring of 2024 as our Chief Customer & Marketing Officer. Kate brings with her 20+ years of experience serving in senior leadership and management roles across a variety of critical business functions. Most recently, Kate served as the VP of Marketing, Brand and Digital Strategy at the Advisory Board Company, a research and strategy consultancy similar to ABA’s business model, and an owned subsidiary of United Healthcare. In that role Kate managed a large department responsible for the acquisition of new clients, customer engagement marketing, social media, content and digital marketing, sponsored events and Brand management. During that time she led the re- design and re-launch of the company’s website and digital strategy, inclusive of managing the associated agency relationships.
In addition, Kate brings experience from a global Fortune 500 corporate environment in commercial strategy and operations, member service, MarTech, analytics, go-to-market planning, and product management. A significant portion of Kate’s background is in serving as part of a broader senior executive team, shaping organizational design, strategic planning, employee engagement and product strategy priorities.
She brings a passion for the arts that is rooted in her early years as a ballet and contemporary dancer, as well as her experience with the rich cultural arts New York City offered during her formative years. She later worked in Marketing & Operations with the Tennessee Performing Arts Center, prior to her years in healthcare.
Kate holds a Bachelor of Arts in English with an InterArts minor from Georgetown University and a Master of Arts in Corporate and Non-Profit Communications from The Johns Hopkins University, where her thesis focused on Corporate Social Responsibility. She lives in Washington, D.C. with her husband John and their children.