For the Gazette

PORTAGE COUNTY – Maggie Marquardt is the new executive director of CREATE Portage County.

Following six years as a member and CREATE board vice president, Marquardt moved from volunteer to staff leadership on Sept. 6.

A self-proclaimed “perpetual dabbler,” Maggie said her lifelong involvement in arts and creativity was fostered from a young age through dance, piano, readers theater, violin, poetry, choir, and more.

In addition to a BA in arts management and a minor in dance from UW-Stevens Point, she holds an MBA from the Bolz Center for arts administration at UW-Madison, where her studies included community economic analysis, entrepreneurship, and creative placemaking.

Prior to joining CREATE, Maggie served as director of development and major gifts officer for the UWSP College of Fine Arts and Communication. Her previous roles have included donor relations and grant management for the John Michael Kohler Arts Center in Sheboygan and fundraising for the Celebrate Children Foundation and the YMCA of Dane County in Madison. 

“The through line in all of my work has been joining with people who want to imagine together what’s possible,” Marquardt stated. “CREATE has already been an incredible connector in Central Wisconsin and the broader region. I am humbled and excited to step into this role to help leverage our collective creativity in advancing vibrant and welcoming communities.”