ABOUT THE CEO

I’m Kathy Hornig. A proud member of the Annapolis High School Wall of Fame (Go, Panthers!), I graduated from St. Mary’s College of Maryland (Go, Seahawks!) and spent a term at Keble College, Oxford University (Go, Brideshead Revisited!). While living on North Calvert Street, I earned my master’s degree in Publications Design at the University of Baltimore (Go, Bees!) and got engaged at the Washington Monument (Go Rick!), kicking-off a longtime love of the Mount Vernon neighborhood. 

I started my career at the Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts as an intern, eventually rising to Festivals Director + Chief Operating Officer. During my tenure at BOPA, I led an amazing team and produced award-winning festivals in the arts and economic development sectors. 

My achievements include:

• Transforming Artscape into America’s largest free arts festival
  (Annual attendees: 350,000+ | Annual economic impact: $25 million)

• Founding the Baltimore Book Festival, a top-tier literary event that connects readers with authors and brings neighbors into dialogue
  (Annual attendees: 100,000 | Annual economic impact: $9 million)

• Leading the citywide coalition to launch Light City, America’s first large-scale festival of light, music and innovation
  (Annual attendees: 442,500 | Annual economic impact: $44 million)

• Directing Star-Spangled Sailabration & Spectacular, including the largest fireworks display in Maryland history, an unprecedented feat of air, sea and land logistics recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records
  (Combined audience: 4.5 million | Annual economic impact: $330 million)

I’m a big fan of color-coding, Duran Duran, Formula One, CBS Sunday Morning and weekend getaways with good books in my beach bag. I love cooking big batches of Cream of Crab Soup for family and friends (who call me Chatty and/or Kathi [Kath-Eye]). My passion is bringing people together in joy and celebration. 

In 2022, I founded Five Star Festivals LLC to leverage the power of mission-driven special events.

My organizational skills and creativity transform the everyday into extraordinary — even on a shoestring budget. Five Star Festivals connects consumers to brands, achieves specific marketing goals and works behind-the-scenes to ensure that my clients shine brightly on event day.