A longtime Gorton patron and Lake Forest neighbor joins our team to help the community’s house grow

If you’ve spent time at Gorton, there’s a good chance you’ve already crossed paths with Kate Burke. She’s a Lake Forest neighbor, a Gorton parent and someone who’s in our building nearly every week. Now she’s part of our team. We’re thrilled to welcome Kate as Gorton’s new Director of Development.

In her new role, Kate leads our annual fund, major gifts, sponsorships, planned giving and donor stewardship. She’s also working alongside our staff and board to bring our $7 million capital campaign across the finish line.

A Fundraiser With a Storyteller’s Touch

Kate joins us from Reading Power, a Lake Bluff literacy nonprofit, where she served since 2021, most recently as Director of Strategy and Operations. During her time there, Reading Power grew its revenue, tutors and students served by more than 50 percent.

She led Play for Literacy, Reading Power’s signature golf and pickleball fundraiser, for six years running and grew its results every year. The 2026 event raised $675,000. As Marketing and Communications Manager, she also wrote the organization’s annual appeal each year – a key driver of its fundraising – and produced its annual Impact Report.

Before Reading Power, Kate spent 15 years in brand marketing at leading Chicago advertising agencies, including mcgarrybowen, where she led integrated marketing for Oscar Mayer Lunchables, then a $1 billion brand. That work, she says, taught her how to understand what motivates people, build trust over time and make a compelling case.

Why Gorton

For Kate, this role is personal.

“Gorton has been at the center of my family’s life for years – it’s where we take classes, see shows and run into our neighbors,” Kate said. “I’m honored to help grow the support that makes all of this possible and to help bring the capital campaign across the finish line.”

Our Executive Director, Amy Wagliardo, agrees she’s the right fit. “Kate already knows Gorton the way our community does – as a neighbor, a parent and someone who’s in our building every week,” Amy said. “She pairs a proven record of growing fundraising programs with deep roots on the North Shore. As we head into the final stretch of our capital campaign and set our sights on growing annual and major gifts, she’s exactly the partner we need.”

What’s Ahead

Kate arrives at an exciting moment. We’ve raised approximately 75 percent of our $7 million capital campaign goal, which will modernize the John & Nancy Hughes Theater, create a welcoming first-floor commons, refresh community spaces throughout our historic building and grow our endowment for the future.

Kate has called Lake Forest home for 25 years and lives here with her husband and two daughters. She serves as Vice Chair of the School Advisory Council at the School of St. Mary and holds a bachelor’s degree in mass communications from Miami University.

Say Hello

Next time you’re here for a class, a show or a community event, stop by and welcome Kate to the team. Want to learn more about supporting Gorton? Visit gortoncenter.org/campaign or contact Kate at 847.234.6060 or kate@nullgortoncenter.org.

You belong here.