Executive Director

Caitlin Patton

Caitlin Patton is the co-founder and Executive Director of OuterArts Maryland, Inc. She is also a Standards for Excellence® Licensed Consultant as well as a violinist, violist, singer, farmer, equestrian, and writer.

Caitlin graduated in 2010 from the Master of Public Administration program at the College of Charleston in Charleston, South Carolina, where she focused her studies in Arts and Nonprofit Administration. Upon her graduation, she was inducted into Pi Alpha Alpha, the national public administration honor society, and received the MPA program’s Outstanding Student Award in recognition of her 4.0 cumulative GPA and involvement in the MPA community.

Caitlin grew up on Maryland’s Eastern Shore where she developed a passion for reading, writing, and music as well as animal rescue and equestrian pursuits. Homeschooled from 5th grade on, she was admitted to Washington College at the age of 15 and graduated magna cum laude four years later with majors in Humanities and Music and minors in Creative Writing and English.

Both during and after college, she taught violin and horseback riding lessons and trained horses professionally. Her arts administration experience includes positions with Spoleto Festival USA, the Tanglewood Music Center, and as the first Executive Director of the Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra. Her training includes a Professional Certificate in Arts Management from the University of Massachusetts Amherst Arts Extension Service, the Essentials of Orchestra Management seminar at the League of American Orchestras, the Standards for Excellence® Licensed Consultant Training, and a Certificate of Nonprofit Board Consulting from BoardSource.

While studying for her master’s degree, she was active in the Charleston community in her role as the Community Service Chair for the College of Charleston Master of Public Administration Student Association, as Vice President of Charleston Student Advocates for the Arts, and also through her volunteer work for Lowcountry Animal Rescue. In Chestertown she was the Founder and Chair of the Chestertown Peace Alliance, sang in and volunteered for the Chester River Chorale, volunteered for Really Great Cats Rescue, and served on the Chestertown Climate Action Committee and on the Board of Directors of Chester River Artworks (now Chestertown RiverArts). While a student at Washington College she founded the Washington College Student Arts Festival and the Washington College Equestrian Team. She represented the College in national equestrian competition. She was also a member of the Student Academic Board and the Washington College String Ensemble, among other campus organizations.

As an instrumentalist, she has performed previously with the Dover, Union, and Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestras and the Greater Philadelphia Honors Orchestra. She formerly taught violin in schools around the Eastern Shore and was an assistant faculty member at the Kent County-based SummerMusic with the Mariner String Quartet from 2003 to 2007. In 2011 she performed at the Festival Musica nas Montanhas in Brazil. For 20 years, she taught violin, viola, and cello both privately and through the Fiddlesticks! Youth Strings Program.

Caitlin has served on the Board of Directors of the Animal Care Shelter for Kent County, and as President of the Chester River Chorale. She sings soprano in the Chester River Chorale, Chester Chamber Singers, and River Voices, the Chorale’s a cappella community outreach ensemble. She served for five years on a music grant review panel for the Maryland State Arts Council.

Caitlin lives on Double Forte Farm in Galena, MD, with her husband (National Music Festival Artistic Director Richard Rosenberg), their son, Asher, and a herd of goats, four cats, five dogs, five horses, several beehives, and a flock of chickens, geese, ducks, turkeys, and guinea fowl. She enjoys spending time with her animals, riding, gardening, writing, and reading.