hey stephen-

as a long-time colleague/friend of Kimberly's, i of course have massive faith in her abilities to excel at this new position
but in direct response to one comment of yours-
" Howard's new position as Trust manager, overseeing a statewide multi-million dollar annual fundraising and awareness/advocacy campaign, is exactly her second in non-profit fundraising."

that is true
but
i want to ask you to consider the depth of experience Kimberly brings that your comment sort of reduces to one facet of her resume-
she's been an ensemble member with Sojourn Theatre, an Oregon Not-for-profit, since 2003 and in that capacity, like other core ensemble members, she:

has been an active fundraiser, and every project we have carried out has been on budget, and we have never been in debt;
helped organize the Witness Our Schools statewide tour and helped build partnerships with many non-arts agencies around our state;
toured to Australia and represented Sojourn at a major convening of global funders and arts advocates;
worked with the CT state Legislature on issues of urban development and arts-based dialogue;
went to Washington DC as a presenter/participant at the Americans for the Arts Annual conference and spent time with Arts Council leadership from around the nation;
worked with not-for-profits and community groups on the ground in Ohio and Vermont that directly addressed arts advocacy and efficacy issues...

She is qualified in many ways to take on the daunting tasks ahead of her, and most significantly, she brings the combined assets and experiences of an artist and a manager to the table in a rare way...and that is, I think, what we need.

best, michael rohd
artistic director sojourn theatre

Stephen,

I'm another long time observer and participant in the Portland arts scene and I also want to comment on your blog on Ms. Howard's appointment to the OCT. I've seen her work, both as an artist and as an arts administrator, and I've also worked with her in fundraising related work. In addition to the additional experience she has, which Mr. Rohd has detailed above (in some ways doing your homework for you as a 'journalist'), I am also aware of her noted academic background as a college professor of the theatre arts. She indeed brings a lifelong committment to the arts - in particular, a profound committment to arts 'by and for' community life. This committment is known deeply by all who have known or worked with her. You may not have intended it as such, but your comment was something similar to the criticism of Presidential Candidate Obama's lack of 'experience' or that he only was a 'community organizer'. Simply put, OCT could not have found a better, more heart-felt committed and, yes, qualified trust manager than Ms. Howard.

Anyone who has had doubts about the future of the OCT, even in these uncertain economic times, should feel more hopeful now that they have Ms Howard.

...and all of us with some interest in the arts as a vital part of life in Oregon really should do our part as well; I am not in any way connected with OCT, but...if you are reading this, how about calling OCT and finding out ways to make Ms. Howard's job just a bit easier? ;)