Kaitlin Passafaro

Kaitlin Passafaro is the president's chief of staff. Passafaro previously served as vice president in the Office of Community and Government Relations (CGR) at Berklee since joining Berklee in January of 2022, providing experienced leadership and insights for a number of strategic initiatives, including the advancement of our plans to renovate the new 12 Hemenway Street building to provide additional campus housing for our students.

Passafaro brings an extensive background in municipal, state, and federal government administration and leadership to Berklee. She was previously director of the Mayor’s Office of Intergovernmental Relations, where she served as senior advisor to former Boston mayors Martin J. Walsh and Kim Janey on critical policy initiatives. In this role, she oversaw a team of nine government affairs professionals; managed all administrative, human resource, and financial aspects of the department; and facilitated communication and coordination across city departments to address policy opportunities. As a member of the mayor’s cabinet, Passafaro helped to create the City of Boston’s 2021–2022 state legislative agenda, comprising more than 50 bills.

For more than 12 years, Passafaro held various positions in the Boston Mayor’s Office, including director of policy for economic development. She analyzed proposed state and local legislation; advised the mayor, the chief of economic development, and other senior city officials; and made policy recommendations relative to reducing barriers, both actual and perceived, related to conducting business in Boston.

Passafaro holds a Bachelor of Arts in history from Boston College and a master’s degree in public administration from the Sawyer Business School at Suffolk University.