Meet Katy of Forever Balboa Park

Today we’d like to introduce you to Katy.

Hi Katy, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
My mom, dad, and I moved to San Diego in 1963. Being deeply involved in the community was simply expected in our home as we grew up. My mom served on the Integration Task Force, the Junior League, and the PTA, and my father was an active member of the downtown Lions Club while growing his law firm. The message was clear: we had both the responsibility and the opportunity to help shape the community and city in which we lived.

That sense of responsibility started early. In elementary school, I ran for office and became the first girl Colonel of the San Diego School Safety Patrol—prompting my father to joke that I peaked in the 6th grade. It continued through junior high and high school; I served as ASB President at Crawford High School, besting my soon-to-be boyfriend in the final round!

After graduating from The Colorado College with a BA in Philosophy and Political Science, I traveled for my sorority as a leadership consultant, visiting more than 35 campuses while living out of a suitcase. It taught me to be approachable while holding high expectations for chapter leadership.

I returned to San Diego to open the new Kappa Kappa Gamma chapter at UCSD while earning my MBA at the University of San Diego. I spent more than 10 years learning about the civic life of the city through roles at the Greater San Diego Chamber of Commerce, the North City Transportation Management Association, the Otay Mesa Chamber of Commerce, Mayor Susan Golding’s staff, and the San Diego Dialogue at UCSD Extension. For personal reasons, I moved to New York and essentially started again.

As Director of Communications at Phoenix House, I learned about drug treatment facilities, followed by a role at Broadcast News Networks. I then joined The Museum of Modern Art to launch its Government Affairs department. Over 10 years, I worked on the integration of the PS1 Contemporary Art Center with MoMA and on the construction and transformative opening of the Taniguchi expansion.

I returned to San Diego to join Derrick Cartwright’s new management team at The San Diego Museum of Art. When Martha Gilmer arrived from the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, I was inspired by her experience and commitment to excellence. We shared 10 wonderful years building the staff and board, the Rady Shell at Jacobs Park, and the new Jacobs Music Center.

I came to Forever Balboa Park in November 2024 because I believe Balboa Park truly matters to San Diego’s future—and because I hoped I might be able to bring my wide range of jobs and experience to the effort. My hope is to make a difference so that the Park thrives into the future, as San Diego so richly deserves.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I’ve encountered challenges that have shaped my journey. I really had to start over when I moved to New York; I knew no one. I also initially believed I should already understand how to accomplish everything from the beginning, not yet appreciating the critical role that experience in the world plays. And losing my parents, the inspiration that started me on this journey, was another profound challenge along the way.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Forever Balboa Park?
Forever Balboa Park is the nonprofit partner dedicated to caring for, enhancing, and celebrating Balboa Park. Our organization supports everything from volunteer programs and Park improvements to major restoration projects that help keep the Park thriving for generations to come. Some of Forever Balboa Park’s signature projects include restoring the iconic Botanical Building and Gardens, expanding and caring for the Park’s urban forest, improving signage and wayfinding, and a host of other efforts that help the Park thrive.

We are a nonprofit organization committed to the care and stewardship of all 1,200 acres of Balboa Park, supported by a professional staff with the expertise to address the Park’s diverse needs. I am especially proud of our volunteer program, the restoration and development of the Botanical Building and Gardens, and our unwavering commitment to excellence.

We want all San Diegans to understand the incredible opportunity that Balboa Park represents, as well as the challenges it faces since the City owns and operates it but doesn’t have sufficient resources to fully meet its potential. Everyone has both the opportunity and the responsibility to support the Park—and doing so is truly in our collective best interest!

Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
1. Calm App
2. Meditations by Marcus Aurelius
3. Viktor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning
4. Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner

Pricing:

• Those interested in supporting the mission of Forever Balboa Park can explore ways to give on our website: https://foreverbalboapark.org/support/

Contact Info:

• Website: http://foreverbalboapark.org/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/foreverbalboapark/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ForeverBalboaPark