Cate Bechtold, Director, Internships and Community Programs, works with the Vice President, Education and the Internships and Community Programs staff to program, coordinate, and implement Wolf Trap’s Internship and Apprenticeship Program, Children’s Theatre-in-the-Woods, Classes at the Center for Education, Master Classes, and Grants for High School Performing Arts Teachers. A recipient of George Mason University’s (GMU) Career Connections Alumni Award, former member of GMU’s Employer Advisory Board, University of Richmond’s Career Services Advisory Council, and NACE’s Inclusion Committee, Mrs. Bechtold has built relationships with colleges and universities in the DC metro area, as well as nationally, to recruit a diverse pool of candidates and to provide resources to assist their students in taking the next step towards their professional career. In her role, Mrs. Bechtold oversees Wolf Trap’s year-round internship program for approximately 35 interns annually as well Wolf Trap Opera’s apprenticeship program which provides opportunities to ten students each summer. Since being in her current role, she has implemented several new workshops, networking events, and panels focused on preparing the next generation of young professionals for a successful transition into the workplace. Mrs. Bechtold advanced the internship and apprenticeship program’s Multicultural Diversity Initiative, offering arts administration career development opportunities to students from underrepresented cultural or ethnic backgrounds. She successfully implemented an Economic Diversity Initiative that breaks down the financial barrier that students often encounter when looking for internships by providing stipends to eligible students to offset their housing and transportation costs. As a former Wolf Trap intern, Mrs. Bechtold understands the importance of a meaningful, hands-on internship and is committed to providing an organized, educational experience for Wolf Trap’s interns and apprentices each year.