Dan Katona began his Ohio Arts Council career in 2001 as community arts coordinator, and served as the OAC’s director of organizational services and its research and program development director before being named the agency’s deputy director in 2014. During his tenure Mr. Katona has worked closely with applicants across the state, shaping agency priorities to align with the needs of Ohio communities, and managing policy development for artists and arts organizations across all disciplines. He currently plays a lead role in agency strategic planning, human capital management, and program evaluation, along with overseeing the OAC’s state arts partnership grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. Mr. Katona is a past fellow of the Academy for Leadership and Governance: Next Generation of Leaders program and was a 2017 graduate of Leadership Ohio. He has served as a presenter at the Americans for the Arts annual convention and as an adjudicator for the Arkansas Arts Council, Kentucky Arts Council, Oklahoma Arts Council, and Columbus Foundation.

Prior to his appointment at the OAC, Mr. Katona worked as a grant writer for the Southern Scholarship Foundation and in the Arts in Education program at the Florida Division of Cultural Affairs in Tallahassee, Florida. He graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in music education from the University of Dayton and holds a master’s degree in arts administration from Florida State University. Mr. Katona lives in Granville, Ohio with his beautiful wife, three brilliant daughters, and insecure dog.