Owner, KPBovardArt; Former Chief of Staff for John Glenn

From politics to painting, Canton City grad has led a colorful life

The career of Kathy Prosser Bovard has led her down an exciting and colorful path since she graduated from Canton City’s (former) Timken Vocational High School (TVHS) in 1968. After learning shorthand and typing at TVHS, she went from Canton to Washington D.C. to Harvard and has traveled across most of the U.S. working in politics and painting. “I began to blossom when I entered Timken Vocational High School in 1964,” said Bovard. “I met my life-long best friends there and learned to value structure and discipline instilled by teachers who set fine examples. Timken taught me to be an excellent secretary and a hard worker. These skills led me to the exciting career I enjoyed.” After high school, Bovard worked at a Canton law office, Canton City Hall and then moved to Columbus to work for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. When her boss decided to return to Canton and run for city attorney, Bovard decided to stay in Columbus, so her supervisor introduced her to former astronaut John Glenn, who was looking for a secretary. Glenn hired Bovard and she later worked on his 1974 U.S. Senate campaign and became his executive assistant in Washington, D.C. When Glenn ran for president in 1984, Bovard took over as his chief of staff while the former chief led the presidential campaign. She was disappointed when he lost the race, but at age 35, Bovard became a lobbyist for Harvard University. For Harvard, she was responsible for recruiting members of Congress to the university and placing students in congressional positions. Bovard, who never completed her bachelor’s degree, was later invited to attend Harvard’s master’s degree program in public administration. It was a rare opportunity where the university accepted people into graduate school without an undergraduate degree. She later worked as deputy director of the Harvard master’s program and at various environmental organizations such as: Deputy commissioner at the Massachusetts Department of Environment, commissioner at the Indiana Department of Environment, U.S. secretary of the International Joint Commission in Washington D.C., president and CEO of the Keystone Center in Colorado and president and CEO of the Conservancy of Southwest Florida. Bovard retired, got married and eventually moved to Chapel Hill, N.C., where she taught herself to paint opened an art studio in 2010. She offers weekly art instruction at her studio and teaches English as a second language to area children. “I really like to think that I serve as hopefully an example of someone who started out with a vocational high school education, but a darn good one at Timken, and was lucky enough to be in the right places at the right time and to use my skills,” she said.

Educational Inspiration

“Grace Guerra was my homeroom teacher in grades 11 and 12 and taught our secretarial classes. She was tough and practical, with a no-nonsense approach to learning. She knew what potential employers expected and prepared me to excel in the real world. I used those typing and shorthand skills throughout my career.”

Giving Back

“My career path led me away from Ohio for many decades before returning home in 2017. Over the years, however, many people marveled at how much success I achieved given my modest vocational high school education. On many occasions at local, state, national and international forum, I was honored to share with audiences how Timken Vocational High School provided the firm, steady foundation upon which I built my career. Serving among Rhodes Scholars and the Ivy-league-educate, I was proud of my Ohio vocational education.”
Current as of 3/29/2024 9:39 am