About Jenn Katona, Founder & President
Jennifer Katona, Ph.D., stepped on stage at eight years old and taught her first class at fourteen.
Since then, she has spent her career advocating, researching, and teaching about the power and importance of arts education—and exploring what the arts can teach us about learning, connection, and community.
She is an educator, author, and consultant with more than 25 years of experience in curriculum development, arts integration, teacher preparation, arts advocacy and K–12 educational leadership.
Jennifer began her career as a theatre educator in New York City Public Schools and later founded and directed the Graduate Program in Educational Theatre at The City College of New York (CUNY), preparing the next generation of NYC educators. Her longstanding work with NYC Public Schools includes curriculum development, professional development for teachers, and contributions to the NYC Blueprint for Teaching and Learning in the Arts. She has also contributed to the development of the National Core Arts Standards, helping shape arts education curriculum and instruction nationally.
As the former Director of Visual and Performing Arts for Norwalk Public Schools, Jennifer led district-wide curriculum development, instructional improvement, and professional learning for more than 80 arts educators. She also led the development of a whole-school arts integration model, embedding arts-based instructional strategies across K–5 classrooms. This work informed her book, Immersive Arts Integration: A Step-by-Step Guide to Implementing a K–8 Model, which offers educators a sustainable approach to integrating the arts across the curriculum through teacher capacity building and whole-school transformation.
Jennifer subsequently served as Executive Director of the Educational Theatre Association and President of the Educational Theatre Foundation, leading national initiatives supporting arts education, professional development, and equitable access to arts learning opportunities, serving 8,000 educators and 55,000 students annually.
Jennifer holds a Ph.D. in Urban Education and Arts Policy from the CUNY Graduate Center. Today, through her consulting practice, 3 Looms Creative Education Consulting, she partners with schools, districts, and nonprofit organizations to build, strengthen, and sustain their theatre and education programs through curriculum development, strategic planning, and educator capacity building. She is also the creator of Urgent Optimism, a Substack exploring the challenges and opportunities facing education today, with a particular focus on the role of the arts in fostering social connection, student well-being, and joyful learning.
What's in a Name?
The name 3 Looms is an homage to the work of pioneering theatre educator Dorothy Heathcote and her documentary, 3 Looms in Waiting, which profoundly influenced my approach to education, leadership, and organizational change.
Heathcote believed in the power of inviting people into the learning process rather than simply telling them what to do. She would famously enter a classroom and ask students, "What shall we do a play about today?" That simple question shifted the dynamic of the room, making students active participants in shaping their own learning.
That philosophy continues to guide my work today.
I believe the strongest programs and organizations are built through collaboration, shared ownership, and a willingness to ask big questions. What are we trying to accomplish? What's working? What's possible? And what do we need to put in place to make it sustainable?
At 3 Looms, I bring that same spirit of inquiry and collaboration to my partnerships with schools and nonprofits. Together, we design programs, strengthen the people and systems that support them, and build the evidence needed to demonstrate their impact.
Just as Dorothy did I start with first asking what is it we want to create together?