Olivia White, Non-Profit Management Professional, named CT Forum Interim Director
HARTFORD, CT – The Connecticut Forum has appointed Olivia White, most recently with The Amistad Center for Art & Culture at the Wadsworth Atheneum, as interim director effective September 6, 2023.
White is a non-profit management professional with more than two decades of experience in Connecticut. Formerly she has held the positions of Development Officer, Executive Director, and Interim Executive Director of The Amistad Center for Art & Culture at the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art and Interim Executive Director of the Connecticut River Museum.
She holds an MBA from the University of Connecticut and an undergraduate degree in sociology from the State University of New York, Stony Brook. White serves on a number of boards and in volunteer capacities with the Edward C. and Ann T. Roberts Foundation, CT Explored, the US Commission on Civil Rights State Advisory Committee, and the Brother Carl Hardrick Institute.
“I am thrilled and honored to join The CT Forum as it launches an absolutely extraordinary season that builds on the successes of its first 30 seasons,” White said. “We need open conversations and open minds now more than ever and no organization is better positioned to meet that need than The CT Forum. I look forward to working with a great team and supporting their continuing achievements in presenting public programming.”
“Olivia is the ideal person to lead The CT Forum during this transitional period,” said Steven Blau, CT Forum Board Chair. “Her non-profit management experience and knowledge of the Hartford community are invaluable for this role. I am confident that under her guidance, The CT Forum will continue to thrive and grow.”
The Forum will continue their work with Third Sector New England (TSNE) in their search for a permanent executive director.
The Connecticut Forum is a one-of-a-kind 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization serving Connecticut and beyond with live, unscripted panel discussions among renowned experts and celebrities, and outreach programs serving youth and the community. Forums are presented four times per year to audiences of 2,500+ at The Bushnell theater in Hartford. The Forum was founded in 1992 by Richard and Doris Sugarman. The Forum’s mission is to encourage the free and active exchange of ideas in forums that inform, challenge, entertain, inspire, and build bridges among all people and organizations in our community.
The 2023-2024 CT Forum season includes a line-up of accomplished and renowned panelists and timely, challenging, and entertaining topics. The 2023-2024 Season will lead off with An Evening with Ken Burns on Saturday, November 18, 2023, an entertaining fireside chat, moderated by journalist Audie Cornish, about the acclaimed documentary filmmaker’s creative process and storied career. The evening will include clips from Burns’ award-winning films and interactive discussion prompted by audience questions.
The season continues with Liz Cheney in Conversation with Ezra Klein on Thursday, March 14, 2024, bringing two powerful voices to The Bushnell stage for a live, unscripted conversation about the state of our democracy and a vision for America’s future, featuring Liz Cheney, former U.S. Republican Congresswoman from Wyoming, and NY Times Columnist Ezra Klein.
The third Forum of the season, Being Human in an Age of AI on Wednesday, April 17, 2024, will be a timely and provocative discussion about advances and ethics in the field of AI and what it means to be fully human in a world of technology. The panel will feature Kate Crawford, leading scholar of AI and society, and additional panelists to be announced.
The Forum’s season finale, Chefs! on Tuesday, May 21, 2024, will be a delicious and entertaining evening with a panel of celebrity and award-winning chefs, including Marcus Samuelsson and others to be announced.