Kim Dohrman has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Tampa, graduating magna cum laude and majoring in Creative Writing with minors in Art and English. At UT, she was awarded Outstanding Graduate of Writing, Outstanding Writing Portfolio and the Las Damas de Arte Award. She also completed MA coursework in Montessori education from Loyola University, taught art at a Montessori elementary school in Tampa for 10 years. She has over 30 years of arts education experience in integrated studio classroom settings. Since 2003 she has also had 24 exhibitions of her artwork, received recognition as Artist of the Year at the World’s Smallest Gallery, Grand Forks, ND, and was a volunteer host and programmer for North Dakota Public Radio from 2003-2007.
Dohrman began working at Creative Clay in 2007 as a volunteer and as a Guest Artist, then served in several other roles at Creative Clay, including Program Manager, Associate Arts Director, and Director of Education, before becoming Chief Executive Officer in 2011. Dohrman was named Creative Clay’s 2008 Bank of America Neighborhood Builder Emerging Leader and has completed certifications from the National Center for Creative Aging, Eckerd College Leadership Development Institute, Nonprofit Leadership Center in Volunteer Management, the Training Resource Network in Job Development for people with disabilities, Mental Health First Aid USA, and AARP’s Tampa Bay Caregiver Accelerator program. She has also served as a board member for several nonprofits, served as a panelist for Inclusion in the Workplace (University of South Florida) and Societal Leadership (Eckerd College), and served on the State of Florida Division of Cultural Affairs grants panel for six years.
Dohrman’s top priority is promoting inclusion for people with disabilities, and to that end, she has created many partnerships with local businesses to improve opportunities for inclusion in the arts. She advocates for the arts and disability community locally, regionally, and at the Florida Capitol every year with a group of Creative Clay’s member artists and parents. As Creative Clay's CEO, Dohrman also leads the organization's teams and operations and oversees all agency strategic planning, budgets, policies, fundraising, and marketing.
