Kate Bramson joined the WaterFire Board in March of 2023, became Vice Chair in 2024, and was elected as Chair of the WaterFire Board in 2025. She brings to the Board her knowledge of economic development, her deep understanding of WaterFire’s role in the Rhode Island economy, and her unwavering belief that Rhode Island is stronger because of the stunning art installation that has attracted visitors to Providence from across the globe for the past 30 years.
Kate and her husband, Andrew, moved to Providence in 2001 — arriving on the night of a WaterFire lighting, which she wrote about after joining the Board. They quickly learned that the braziers offered a unique opportunity to explore their new city by night. When they first arrived, Kate worked at Brown University while contemplating leaving her chosen profession of journalism. But The Providence Journal drew her back into the business, and she wrote for the newspaper until 2018. In her final 7 years as a reporter, she covered economic development and workforce issues. She wrote about the 195 Commission’s efforts to develop vacant land in the heart of Providence that had been freed up by the relocation of the highway. She covered the collapse of former Red Sox pitching star Curt Schilling’s 38 Studios. She explained then-Governor Gina Raimondo’s economic development priorities to readers and tracked the results. And she wrote about the complex financing required for the nonprofit WaterFire to transform the long-vacant former U.S. Rubber factory into the WaterFire Arts Center.
After an award-winning journalism career of 25 years, Kate transitioned into leadership roles in government, at Brown University, and in the nonprofit sector. Kate left journalism to become the Policy Director for the Rhode Island State Senate, where she led the creation of the Senate’s economic-development legislative package, “Building a More Vibrant Rhode Island.” She then worked in the nonprofit housing sector and as associate director in the Office of Deputy Dean Megan L. Ranney, while Ranney helped lead Brown University’s School of Public Health. Kate has also worked as an independent consultant for a practice she founded during the pandemic. Through Kate Bramson, LLC, she conducted nonprofit Board governance work to recruit and onboard new Directors for organizations; edited federal grant applications within the education and nonprofit sectors; co-authored a policy report for Jobs for the Future about remote work opportunities for low-income, older workers; and wrote grant applications for a variety of nonprofits.
Most recently, Kate has joined the Care New England Health System, where she is the Chief of Staff in the Office of the President and Chief Executive Officer.
Bramson and her husband raised their two children in Providence.
