Presenter

Katie Sword

Vice President of Marketing, New Jersey Performing Arts Center

Katie Sword is Vice President of Marketing at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) in Newark, N.J., a position she has held since 2011. As VP of Marketing, she is responsible for Performance and Institutional Marketing, including creative services, CRM, loyalty services, digital content and event public relations, and directs a department of 19 staff members.

Ms. Sword began her professional career in 2006 as the Marketing Manager at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts in Bethel, N.Y., where she played an integral part in the launch of Bethel Woods’ inaugural season in 2006. While at Bethel, Ms. Sword developed and executed the marketing campaigns for all performances and for the Museum and Harvest Festival at Bethel Woods. Ms. Sword participated in Sullivan Leadership, a program that expanded leadership potential through educational programs and networking. The skills she acquired there were vital to the development of Bethel Woods’ first guest services training program.  

In 2009, she joined the Mayo Performing Arts Center in Morristown, N.J. as Director of Marketing. As the supervisor of a diverse and successful team of marketing, sales, digital, and community engagement representatives, she met and/or exceeded budgeted sales for three seasons. She pioneered a rebranding awareness campaign for MPAC that included web initiatives, print ads, video, radio and street teams – resulting in a 30% increase in brand recognition – and led a digital team that focused on social media and email marketing. As a result, MPAC enhanced its online presence by 200%. 

During her tenure, she initiated a partnership with the Morris County Chamber of Commerce’s Young Professional Committee to foster arts awareness and appreciation within that demographic. By bridging social events and unique experiences with upcoming performances, she was instrumental in closing a steadily growing gap in an audience segment that was crucial to the financial health of the center.

In addition to her duties at NJPAC, Ms. Sword serves on the board of the Greater Newark Convention and Visitors Bureau and is an active participant in the Victoria Foundation Emerging Leaders Program at Rutgers University-Newark and the Performing Arts Center Consortium Marketing Committee. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Economics and a master’s degree in Organizational Leadership, both from the State University of New York at Potsdam.