The following article is from The Keene Sentinel, written by contributing writer Paul Miller. Picture is courtesy of The Keene Sentinel.
Trendsetter honoree Katie Hart, asked to describe herself in one word, didn’t reach into the proverbial hat and pull out a predictable, straightforward adjective. Nor did she go for something showy that sounds good but doesn’t necessarily fit.
Instead, Hart, 39, director of operations at Home Healthcare, Hospice & Community Services (HCS), opted for a noun. And not an expected one.
“It’s ‘potato,’ ” she says, asking “to hear me out.”
First, she says, her explanation goes far beyond her, well …. affection for potatoes.
“The potato,” she begins, “is functional, versatile and shows up reliably for everyone, in every culture, at every table. It is not flashy, but it gets the job done and nourishes the community it serves. And honestly? On rare days off, I’m a proud couch potato. I think there’s something to be said for a person, or a vegetable, that’s hardworking and knows how to rest.”
So, it’s the perfect metaphor for things she believes in and aspires to, including finding satisfaction and enjoyment in working with others — colleagues and clients — and in the simplicity and purpose with which she lives.
Hart is not ostentatious. She is not a get-the-last-word-in type; she finds it neither sensible nor productive. What she is, colleagues say, is a straight thinker, a compassionate advocate for those who need a voice or a hand at the right moment, an engaged supporter of community arts organizations, and an accomplished musician and vocalist.
She grew up surrounded by music; her mother, Marcia, who passed when Hart was in her early 20s, and father, Bruce, were excellent avocational musicians. “It all came very naturally to me,” she says.
At work, too, colleagues suggest, Hart is doing what comes naturally.
In a Trendsetter nomination letter, co-workers Talee Messenger and Sareen Sarna wrote: “Katie takes the time to develop individuals, her teams, and is brilliant at connecting relationships for the greater good. … She leads with respect and integrity, always keeping the greater community at the forefront of her work.”
Messenger, public relations and community liaison for HCS, said Hart’s work philosophy is clients first, colleagues a close second, and “then trusting that the rest can be figured out with collaboration and care.”
It speaks, Messenger says, to the mentor and teacher Hart is at her core.
Hart lives in Keene with her husband, John T. Hart Jr., associate professor of music at Keene State College; their daughter Eleanor, a fourth-grader; and the family’s silver Lab, Miles. Hart has a BA in Music from the Sunderman Conservatory at Gettysburg College and an MBA with focus areas in marketing and information science and business analytics from UNH’s Paul College of Business and Economics.
Hart describes the clients she works with as “fiercely independent,” as New Englanders often are. “They want to stay in their own homes and that’s exactly what we want for them too. But what we see behind those doors is often real hardship.”
The federal poverty guideline for a single person in New Hampshire in 2025 was income of less than $15,650 annually, or about $1,330 per month, Hart explains. “More than 70 percent of HCS Meals on Wheels clients are living below 150 percent of the poverty line, and only a small share of those individuals has family available to help them.”
“One of the wonderful things about working at a local healthcare ((we’d make that two words)) nonprofit is that your patients and clients are all around you all the time, so I regularly get to hear stories and challenges from our community. I make it a priority to occasionally deliver Meals on Wheels, staff our Walk-in Wednesdays, and meet with local groups who want to learn more about HCS.”
Hart says she “thrives” on being a problem-solver, which makes her work such a good and rewarding fit.
Her work at HCS began as office manager for the organization’s Visiting Nurse program. Her organizational and leadership abilities were evident right away, Messenger wrote, and through the HCS scholarship program, Hart earned her MBA.
Hart improved monthly reporting skills that strengthened decision-making across HCS, Messenger and Sarna wrote. Now, she oversees IT, homemaking, nutrition, transportation, events and community relations.
“My team is chock full of smart, funny, talented and compassionate individuals who deeply care about the HCS mission, Hart says. “Our newest members have brought a feeling of fresh air and made it an exciting time to be at HCS.”
When not collaborating with her team to deliver rays of sunshine for those who need a break in the clouds, Hart stays busy singing, of course; knitting; baking; and doing puzzles of all kinds. She enjoys podcasts, too, especially those that are instructive or share an interesting story.
Hart is proof that there is contentment to be found in a community of one’s choosing, that voice matters and if one doesn’t already know, that there is much to learn from, and like, about a humble potato.
