Mechanics Hall executive director announces June retirement

Photo I Courtesy of Mechanics Hall Kathleen Gagne, executive director of Mechanics Hall

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Kathleen Gagne, executive director of Mechanics Hall in Worcester, will be packing up her desk come June as the event hall’s leader has plans to retire.

Gagne will step down following a 30-year career with the Worcester landmark, having assumed her executive leadership role in 2018, according to a Thursday press release from Mechanics Hall.

“Mechanics Hall's been fortunate to have the leadership of Kathleen Gagne for the last 30 years. Kathy has positioned the Hall for continued success for years to come. We wish her well in her retirement and thank her for her service to the Hall and the greater Worcester community,” Peter Thomas, president of the Mechanics Hall board of trustees, said in the release.

Since assuming her executive director position, Gagne has since led the organization through preservation efforts and the COVID outbreak while working to broaden its community outreach and impact.

In June 2020, the hall closed for 18-months following the onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic as the organization struggled to afford to reopen.

Later, she oversaw the ongoing initiatives to preserve and restore the hall, upgrading the building’s sound and lighting, helping to maintain its Washburn Hall where Henry David Thoreau once spoke.

Gagne spearheaded Mechanics Hall’s effort to commission portraits of key Black leaders of the 19th century’s abolition and women’s rights movements, which were put on display in March within its Great Hall.

“It has been an honor and a privilege to serve as executive director of Mechanics Hall, and a true blessing to have enjoyed so many years working on behalf of this landmark space,” Gagne said in the release. “I am proud to have led efforts to preserve and evolve the rich legacy of Worcester’s historic and world-renowned performance hall, and to have worked with so many passionate, dedicated people over the years. The staff, board, and community have been wonderfully supportive, and I have every confidence that Mechanics Hall will continue to enrich the lives of all who experience it.”

Mechanics Hall has formed a search committee in partnership with Boston-based nonprofit consulting firm Development Guild DDI to select Gagne’s replacement. The hall will announce updates in the coming weeks.

Mica Kanner-Mascolo is a staff writer at Worcester Business Journal, who primarily covers the healthcare and diversity, equity, and inclusion industries.