Prominent West Hartford Foundation Names New Leader

Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Hartford

WEST HARTFORD, CT — A West Hartford-based community foundation serving the greater Hartford area has announced a new leader to operate the nonprofit.

The Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Hartford has appointed Kathryn Gonnerman as its new president and chief executive officer, the organization announced July 15.

Gonnerman, who previously worked at the foundation for 10 years, will begin her new role Aug. 18.

She will oversee a nine-member staff, expand the foundation’s mission, and grow its assets under management, which currently are $190 million.

“We are truly delighted to welcome Kathryn back to our community,” said Gayle Temkin, chair of the foundation’s board of trustees.

“Kathryn is an outstanding strategic thinker and an inspiring leader, deeply committed to our community. She has a remarkable ability to build trusted relationships with donors, trustees, and lay leaders alike,” she continued. “We are confident that Kathryn is the ideal person to lead the Foundation into a new era of growth, innovation, and financial strength.”

Gonnerman first worked at the foundation from 2013–24 in various leadership positions.

She began as the marketing director and was promoted to executive director of the foundation’s Center for Innovative Philanthropy.

In 2018, Gonnerman served as interim CEO of the foundation and was appointed vice president of philanthropy in 2019 – 24.

In this role, Gonnerman restructured and grew the development team staff and managed fundraising and donor relations, generating $4 million to $6 million in revenue per year.

She also counseled Jewish agency and synagogue leaders on effective endowment initiatives and supported the migration to a new database system for greater operational efficiency.

Gonnerman speaks Mandarin Chinese and Spanish, and has traveled extensively through her work in international education and cross-cultural competency.

She earned her master’s and bachelor’s degrees from Yale University in East Asian studies, and Gonnerman was named one of Hartford Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 in 2016.

Founded in 1972, the Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Hartford is "committed to solving problems, strengthening community organizations, and providing permanent support for Greater Hartford’s Jewish community." A partner to the Jewish Federation of Greater Hartford, the foundation has $190 million in assets and awarded close to $7 million in grants in fiscal year 2025.

For more information on the Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Hartford, click on this link.