SueEllen Kroll

SueEllen Kroll serves as a senior program officer for Arts & Creativity. In this role, SueEllen oversees a portfolio of innovative capacity building efforts, including the Barr Klarman Massachusetts Arts Initiative that aims to build the adaptive capacity of mid-size arts and culture organizations and grow key partnerships statewide. SueEllen also contributes to the program's evolving anti-racism work and supports strategy development. She co-founded and serves on the steering committee of Philanthropy Massachusetts’ Program Staff Learning Network.

Prior to joining Barr in 2017, SueEllen was the director of grants & strategic partnerships at the Rhode Island Council for the Humanities, the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. In addition to leading the Council’s grantmaking, she managed a variety of partnership programs including a statewide mobile history app called Rhode Tour, the Expansion Arts program, and Catalyzing Culture—a multi-year initiative to strengthen ties within the cultural sector and between the cultural sector and the larger community.

SueEllen is passionate about the power of arts and culture as essential tools for a lively democracy. They help us share our human stories, build empathy and greater understanding across differences, and creatively inspire citizens to engage in their communities.

SueEllen received a bachelor’s degree in English literature from Wheaton College. She lives in Providence, where she enjoys the city’s lively cultural scene and historic architecture.