Each year, the Corridor Business Journal shines a spotlight on young professionals who have made a meaningful impact on the region early in their careers. We are proud to introduce you to the 20th class of Forty Under 40 honorees, chosen by a committee of past honorees. Caitlin Hartman Senior Director of Patron Engagement | […]
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Caitlin Hartman
Senior Director of Patron Engagement | Orchestra Iowa
Age: 37
Family: Partner, Kevin
Residence: Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Hometown: Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Education: Coe College — Bachelor of Arts in History and French
What do you consider your "big break" in your career, so far? Moving into the nonprofit sector, and particularly taking the leadership role to bring together marketing and development at Orchestra Iowa. The two departments had been separate for many years, and it led to some chaos and confusion, as so many of our patrons are both ticket buyers and donors - there's so much overlap between communications, style, messaging, and branding. It's important to keep consistency, so my proposal and insistence was to bring the departments together. We did that, and it has led to great progress and improvements!
What are your passions outside of the workplace? I cherish my partner, Kevin, more than anything. He is my best friend and I am exceedingly thankful for him. We spend a lot of time together: cooking, doing home projects, and traveling. I also enjoy being auntie to 4 darling nieces and nephews. I also own a historic home in one of Cedar Rapids' local historic districts, which I operate as an Airbnb. It's a lot of work, but it is a lot of fun, too!
What do you want to accomplish by the time you are 50? I'd like to start my own business. Doing what, I don't exactly know. Perhaps it is expanding my Airbnb business. Perhaps it is creating a boutique travel agency for travel to Paris or France (I have lived in Paris multiple times and know the city quite well). I've long wanted to open a very specific kind of restaurant. I guess we'll have to wait and see!
If you had $1 million to give, what causes would you support? I would establish an endowment to help bring back Brucemorchestra. This concert was so well-loved by the community and region, but was cripplingly expensive for Orchestra Iowa to put on. A $45,000-50,000 annual distribution from an endowed fund could be a tremendous help to make this program viable again.
