Black and white portrait of a woman with long, straight hair wearing a turtleneck sweater, smiling, against a plain background.

My work is grounded in place and guided by communities.

I bring 25+ years of experience across community development, capital projects, and nonprofit leadership, securing major funding, and navigating complex on the ground realities, and have gained a nuanced understanding of the pressures and possibilities of small towns and rural places.

I partner with teams—boards, leaders, philanthropists, and public and private institutions to clarify vision, shape strategy, align partners and secure resources to move ideas forward.

  • Open field with grazing horses, surrounded by trees with yellow and green leaves, mountain range in the background, clear blue sky overhead

    "known affectionately as “a force of nature” as she tackled issue after issue with unflagging energy and good will."

    Starting from a shaky foundation of confusing and sometimes conflicting goals, Kate quickly got about the business of coalescing the Arts Council Board while personally conducting hundreds of hours of interviews with community leaders of all sorts: cultural, political, historical, and the genuine characters that give the town much of it’s character. Out of this came a clear vision of what the arts council should and could become, and started the transformation from a misunderstood organization into the cultural leader that quickly garnered State of Colorado recognition as a certified Cultural District, and a renaming to Telluride Arts.

    Todd Brown, Board Member, Community Leader

  • "a remarkable person, a brilliant collaborator, and an achiever with a proven track record"

    “When Kate served as Executive Director for Telluride Arts, we worked together on the Telluride Transfer Warehouse – an iconic structure with historical significance located in the core of town.  The building lay dormant for over forty years with a collapsed roof.  The vision was to see the structure rehabilitated and transformed into a cultural hub, requiring years of planning, the collaboration of many, and a strong foundational partnership.  Kate led that process … she saw that vision turn into action.  A remarkable person, a brilliant collaborator, and an achiever with a proven track record.”

    Greg Clifton, Former Town Manager, Telluride, CO.

  • Street scene in a mountain town with snow-capped peaks in the background and pink clouds in the sky at sunset

    "a rare combination of visionary leadership and grounded execution to every project she takes on"

    ”Kate Jones brings a rare combination of visionary leadership and grounded execution to every project she takes on. Her work on the Telluride Transfer Warehouse stands out as a model for how community-driven, culturally significant projects can align with statewide goals. Through thoughtful planning, inclusive engagement, and strategic partnerships, Kate has helped elevate Colorado’s creative economy in meaningful, lasting ways. She’s a trusted collaborator and a powerful advocate for the role of arts and culture in community development.

    Margaret Hunt, Director, Colorado Creative Industries, Governor’s Office of Economic Development  2013-2022

  • Two musicians performing on an outdoor stage in a mountain town with audience watching, mountains visible in the background.

    "she led both large and small initiatives that really had a profound and positive impact on our mountain community which will last for years to come"

    “As the Town Manager of Telluride, Colorado, I had the opportunity to collaborate with Kate regularly, and her passion for arts, culture and community-building were infectious. Her leadership and vision greatly advanced the Arts in Telluride and she led both large and small initiatives that really had a profound and positive impact on our mountain community which will last for years to come.”

    Scott Robson, Former Town Manager, Telluride, CO. Executive Director, Crested Butte Film Festival

  • Flowers by Emily Ballou for Fundraising Dinner

    "I am immensely grateful for Kate, her warmth, her knowledge, and her love for supporting artists like myself"

    “Anytime I am asked about my experience with Telluride Arts, I immediately start raving about Kate Jones.  My career as an artist would not exist without Kate, her support, and all she did during her time as the Executive Director of Telluride Arts.  I am immensely grateful for Kate, her warmth, her knowledge, and her love for supporting artists like myself. Kate Jones is one of a kind and has made such an impact on the art community in Telluride.”

    Emily Ballou, Artist

  • An outdoor evening concert with a small band playing on a stage under a white canopy, audience seated on chairs and couches, lit by string lights against a rustic brick wall.

    "a reliable thought partner and a visionary leader"

    “I had the pleasure of working with Kate Jones during her tenure as ED of Telluride Arts District. In the four years we worked together, I found Kate to be both a reliable thought partner and a visionary leader. We were able to accomplish a lot in that time and I attribute much of our success to Kate’s ability to balance her big picture thinking with her ability to manage and support all its myriad pixels. Her leadership always felt fair and considered, which was no small feat considering how many hats she was forced to wear. More than any of her particular professional attributes, I just found Kate to be a kind, present, and authentic person.”

    Alex Paul, Musician, Augment Music Project

  • Group of people at a model display in a studio with architecture floor plans and landscape images, one woman pointing upward, dressed warmly with a hat and scarf, others examining plans.

    "equally and uniquely gifted in vision and execution"

    “Birthed in 1971 when Telluride was still tie-dyed town, Telluride Arts was the region’s first nonprofit. Its mission: cultivate and  enhance the cultural economy. By the new decade, Telluride’s art scene was indeed buzzing, but the foundational nonprofit itself, not so much – until Kate Jones showed up in town. Equally and uniquely gifted in vision and execution, over the next 14 years, I watched Kate rebrand and otherwise revive Telluride Arts, transforming the nonprofit into the beating heart of the region’s cultural life. In short, during her tenure, a Dodo became a Phoenix.”

    Susan Viebrock, Publisher and Journalist

  • Gallery storefront with large framed black and white photographs displayed in the window, an indoor art exhibit visible inside, and a black circular sign overhead that reads "Teloside Arts District".

    "working with her would be working with the proven professional best"

    “Kate Jones did one helluva job as arts council director in Telluride: making us a state arts district, providing a critical arts venue for events large and small, and working on plans and fundraising for a major arts center in the middle of town. She provided gallery space on the town's main street, increased outreach and communication and upped the arts ante for artists and organizations in countless ways. As a former arts council director myself, I was in awe of the great work Kate did for our arts community. Consulting with her would be working with the proven professional best.”

    Art Goodtimes, poet, former newspaper editor and five-term San Miguel County, CO commissioner

  • A rainbow over an outdoor gathering in a courtyard with stone walls, decorated with colorful banners, people holding umbrellas, and a singer performing at a microphone.

    "skilled at moving a community need from vision to fruition"

    “Kate is skilled at moving a community need from vision to fruition. Her successes are many: from creating long-running festivals to raising tens of millions of dollars to resurrecting historic buildings for public use. Through her leadership, supporting the arts and an arts-based economy has become a core value in Telluride.”

    Ann Hurley Barker, Former Development Director and Event Manager, Telluride Arts

  • Yellow wildflowers growing in a dry, rocky soil in a natural outdoor setting.

    More Coming Soon!

    Have something to say about our work together? I’d love to hear from you!

My approach centers local leadership and ownership, with trust that the true experts are those closest to the work.

  • I guide meaningful, rigorous, organizational and community planning processes to clarify vision, and develop the strategies and a roadmap to move forward with intention.

  • I provide expertise for capital initiatives, from early exploration, planning and feasibility, cultivating partners, to securing multi-million dollar investments.

  • I design and implement dynamic fundraising strategies, establishing partnerships, strengthening the network of support, cultivating donations of all sizes, grant writing, and building trust.

  • I provide experienced, calm, and steady guidance to organizations navigating periods of growth, transition, or challenges.

    This includes supporting executive leadership and teams in maintaining focus, strengthening internal capacities, and ensuring continued alignment with organizational values, core mission, and community goals.