Barbara W. Hostetter

Barbara Hostetter is co-founder and chair of the Board of Trustees of the Barr Foundation. She served as the Foundation’s president from its inception through 2014, managing its early grantmaking, overseeing organizational development, and shaping grantmaking strategies. She worked closely with the Foundation’s first two executive directors and became board chair with the arrival of Barr’s current president, Jim Canales, who was appointed in 2014.

Barbara is actively engaged in Boston’s civic life in a variety of leadership roles. She is currently a trustee and chair-elect of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and she serves as a trustee of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. She is also a life trustee of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, where she served as president of the board for 10 years and was actively involved in the creation of the new wing that opened in 2012.

Barbara is a member of the Arts Advisory Council for the Boston Public Schools and the Council of Advisors for Historic Boston, Inc., and the Friends Council for the Friends of the Public Garden. Her past service includes the boards of the New England Aquarium, Friends of the Public Garden, Milton Academy, and the Massachusetts Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Children. She was also appointed by Governor Romney as a founding member of the Stewardship Council for the Department of Conservation and Recreation.