Strategizing Your Sponsorships

Kate Conroy became Director of Strategic Partnerships at New Jersey Business & Industry Association, the largest employer-based business association in the United States, in October 2016. As an organization leader, she is responsible for the annual management and development of a one million dollar partnership program, the representation of the Association to C-Suite constituents, and the cultivation of collaboration among members to create profitable relationships.

Prior to this, Ms. Conroy was Director of Member Services & Programs at NJBIA. As a team leader with the overall responsibility for managing the development and implementation of NJBIA programs and events, she was also responsible for event budgets which accounted for almost one million dollars in revenue. Tasked with developing and obtaining positive financial goals for each event, Ms. Conroy achieved a reduction in overall expenses of approximately 20% in her first six months.

Before coming to NJBIA, Ms. Conroy worked for 11 years as Vice President of the Gateway Regional Chamber of Commerce, the largest and most active business organization in the northern New Jersey-New York metropolitan region.

Ms. Conroy was responsible for membership services and growth; website construction and content creation; local chamber meetings and event coordination; the maintenance of 17 Affinity Partner relationships, which led to increased diversification of revenue for the Chamber; and the acquisition of several new networking groups under the Chamber’s umbrella, which steadily increased the Chamber’s membership base. In becoming an integral and essential part of the Gateway staff, of particular note was Ms. Conroy’s sustained drive in bringing new members into the Chamber.

Throughout her career with the Chamber, Ms. Conroy was a key element in the implementation of the strategic plan to revitalize the organization and make it more politically effective by taking full advantage of the grassroots capabilities of its membership.

Ms. Conroy was the driving force behind the launch of the Gateway Association of Business Women, a successful monthly gathering for lunch, networking and speakers, which has become one of the most dynamic women’s groups in the state.

With an eye toward further expansion and untapped demographics, Ms. Conroy also organized the chamber’s quarterly event Networking Outside the Box, which met for cocktails, hors d’oeuvres and informal networking, thereby balancing the predominantly morning schedules of the other Gateway groups. Ms. Conroy also helped launch the Irish Business Association, which looked to draw and build on the common heritage of New Jersey’s Irish-American business community. Finally, Ms. Conroy initiated the organization of the Gateway Chamber’s Small Business Council, to better serve the needs of the small business community within the chamber.

Ms. Conroy has been particularly active in professional development, participating as frequently as possible in the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives, as well as the Institute for Organization Management, the U.S. Chamber’s premier executive training program for chamber of commerce professionals. Institute is an intense four-year program from which Ms. Conroy graduated in the summer of 2008. Ms. Conroy was consistently awarded scholarships from ACCE to help offset the cost of Institute. Since graduation Ms. Conroy has served on the Board of Regents for Institute.

Ms. Conroy received a Master of Arts degree in history from Armstrong Atlantic State University (Savannah, GA). She specialized in medieval Iberian (Spanish) history and the relationships between Muslims, Christians and Jews during the High Middle Ages as the Black Death swept through Europe. While doing her graduate work she was awarded an assistantship, which, in addition to a stipend, provided a tuition-free graduate school experience.

In October 2009 Ms. Conroy incorporated Quilts by Kate LLC, a small business that specializes in the design and creation of specialty quilts made out of wedding gowns, baby clothes, t-shirts and other memorabilia.
In the Spring of 2010 Ms. Conroy was named the Irish Business Association’s first ever Woman of the Year, an honor of which she is very proud. She makes her home in Plainfield, NJ, with her husband Kevin Savacool.