Dorie Watts is the program associate for Democracy and the Arts at the Kettering Foundation. She supports Senior Program Officer Joni Doherty in managing and evaluating local, national, and international arts and cultural initiatives that align with the foundation’s mission of advancing inclusive democracy. Drawing on strong relationships within the arts sector, deep roots in community advocacy, and a background in project management and communications, Watts helps foster collaborative partnerships that expand the reach and impact of democratic cultural work. She also coordinates and plans events and projects that elevate the role of the arts in civic life. 

Prior to joining the foundation, Watts spent over a decade at Culture Works, the Dayton region’s funding, advocacy, and service organization for local arts and culture. There, she led arts and civic engagement programs, managed operations, and developed strategic partnerships across the region. She also oversaw several long-term initiatives, including two Arts and Economic Prosperity studies in partnership with Americans for the Arts, and served on the member committee for their 2025 national conference. Before her work in the nonprofit arts sector, she was a flight attendant for 17 years—and is still quite keen to travel whenever she has the opportunity. 

Watts received her BS in business management from the University of Dayton. She and her husband live near Springboro, Ohio.