Douglas F. Kridler is the fifth president of The Columbus Foundation, a community foundation serving
the central Ohio region since 1943.
Prior to joining The Columbus Foundation as President & CEO in February 2002, Kridler served as the
President of the Columbus Association for the Performing Arts (CAPA), during which time he oversaw
the expansion of CAPA from one theater in Columbus to owning/operating six theaters in Columbus,
the Chicago Theatre in downtown Chicago, and the legendary Shubert Theatre in New Haven,
Connecticut. During his tenure, Kridler undertook restorations of the Ohio, Palace, and Southern
Theatres, and produced a wide-ranging selection of over 1,800 concerts and events.
Before his selection as CAPA’s President, Kridler was part of the national campaign staff for Senator
John Glenn’s Presidential Campaign, and worldwide Tour Manager of The Cleveland Orchestra, as well
as Concerts Director of Blossom Music Center, its 18,000-seat summer home. He is a past Chair of the
International Society for the Performing Arts (ISPA), an international organization of leading arts
professionals from more than 50 countries in every region of the world.
Kridler has received the Mel Schottenstein Leadership Award, was CEO Magazine’s CEO of the Year,
and has been inducted into the Central Ohio Business Hall of Fame. Kridler has also received the
Governor’s Arts Award and The Columbus Foundation Award and was named a King Arts Complex
Legends and Legacies Honoree.
Kridler serves as Chair of Experience Columbus’ Board of Directors and served as a board member of
Nationwide Mutual Funds, currently with over $75 billion in assets, during which he served as chair of
the Investment, Valuation and Operations and Nominating & Fund Governance Committees. He is also
a former member of the Business Advisory Council of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland.
Kridler earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in Arts Management from the University of Utah, and a
Bachelor of Arts degree from Ohio Wesleyan University.