A press release from CATCO
Christy Farnbauch, one of central Ohio’s leading executive nonprofit leaders, will join CATCO and CATCO is Kids as executive director beginning April 15, 2020.
Farnbauch is currently executive director of the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) Columbus. Under her leadership, NAWBO Columbus was recognized as the #1 NAWBO chapter in the United States by the Columbus Foundation in February 2019. In addition, she significantly increased corporate contributions and philanthropic individual giving and developed creative strategies for membership recruitment and retention.
As a business consultant, Farnbauch has designed audience experiences; created fund-raising campaigns; planned and implemented strategic plans; and developed numerous initiatives for a wide range of clients, including performing arts organizations. At the Ohio Arts Council, she served as director of innovation and engagement from 2015-2017, and held various positions in arts education and community arts development, including director of community and organizational development, from 1991-2004.
“We welcome Christy to the CATCO family. Her deep knowledge and understanding of the arts, as well as significant experience in all facets of nonprofit leadership, strategic planning and development of innovative programming and services, will be invaluable to CATCO and CATCO is Kids in the future,” said Steven C. Anderson, CATCO’s producing director, who announced his retirement last year.
In October 2019, CATCO’s board announced it would reorganize the leadership structure of the theatre organization to take effect when Anderson retires to include two equal executive positions – an executive director with local community connections and an artistic director. The theatre’s leadership team previously consisted of a producing director and associate producing director.
“This type of dual leadership structure is the standard working model in the theatre world, and the CATCO board decided earlier this year after Steven announced his retirement that this is the leadership path CATCO should adopt for the future,” CATCO Board President Krista Hazen said. The executive director will oversee administrative, budgeting, fund-raising and finance operations, while a nationwide search is under way for an artistic director, who will be responsible for setting strategic goals and directing the artistic vision for CATCO and CATCO is Kids programming.
“Christy has spent her career in central Ohio working with a variety of nonprofits, many of them representing the performing arts, as a transformational leader who guided her organizations to achieve powerful growth results. Her connections to and understanding of the community make her an ideal choice to lead CATCO and CATCO is Kids,” said Liz Riley, CATCO board member, who is leading the search committees for the new executive and artistic directors.
Anderson is one of central Ohio’s longtime and most revered arts leaders. He has led CATCO since 2010, and been a leader in the Columbus arts scene since 1978.
