Sweet Briar College Magazine - Spring 2016

Katharine “Kate” H. Dobie ’06
TITLE: Development officer for events at The
Metropolitan Museum of Art
JOB IN BRIEF: Primary organizer with
responsibility for approximately 20 museum events
annually, in addition to supporting events led by
other members of the museum’s planning team.
Dobie runs the annual Family Benefit, which for
two years in a row has grossed record amounts
over its 24-year history.
STUDIED: B.A. in history with a minor in art
history; the Virginia Program at Oxford
LIVES IN: Inwood in northern Manhattan
NEW YORKER SINCE: 2007
FROM: Lake Oswego, Ore.
Our most fun event is the Costume Institute Benefit. We’re
often running around like lunatics one minute finalizing
seating arrangements and guest lists, and 10 minutes later
we’re all dressed in gowns and standing by casually as
hundreds of flash bulbs blink outside and the A-listers stroll
by us.
The Met is a truly remarkable place to work. Often I
am rushing around [sometimes to another department
that might be three city blocks away without leaving the
building], but there are moments you find yourself alone in
a gallery and it hits you where you’re standing — a stunning
New York City landmark that holds the result of thousands
of years of human art and culture. I once rode in the
elevator with a Van Gogh painting. I’m very lucky.
You can consider yourself a New Yorker when you’re
confident giving directions. I’ve also become a real enforcer
of commuter justice. There are rules: Don’t blast your music
on the subway, offer your seat to someone who needs it
more than you, and for God’s sake, don’t skip the line at the
M79 bus stop. There will be a line of angry New Yorkers
shouting at you, and I’ll be one of them.
What I like most about the city is that it has everything.
You can order Chinese food, dry cleaning or groceries, etc.,
online and it is delivered to your door. More importantly, it’s
one of the world’s most visited destinations, and I only have
to hop on the subway or in a cab to see it all. I can be on
top of a skyscraper, spot a celebrity shopping, eat a worldclass
meal and stroll through Central Park all in one day.
Photo: The Temple of Dendur is one of the most popular
exhibits in the Egyptian galleries at The Met.
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