By Ken Gewertz

Gazette Staff

Cathy Chute, director of marketing and business development for the New York Times Custom Publishing division, has been appointed publisher of Harvard Magazine, succeeding Laura Freid, who is now Brown University's vice president for university relations. Chute will begin her new position March 10.

The appointment was announced this week by Sally Zeckhauser, Vice President for Administration. According to Zeckhauser, Chute emerged as the clear choice after a rigorous national search.

"I was impressed by Cathy's professional experience, her management skills, and her qualities as a person -- attributes which will make her not only an exciting leader for Harvard Magazine, but also a valued member of the wider University community," Zeckhauser said.

"I think we're very lucky to have found her and to have attracted her to Harvard," said John Rosenberg, editor of Harvard Magazine and a member of the search committee. "She has the ideal business experience in magazine management, circulation, and advertising sales, but more than that, as a graduate of both Princeton and Yale she has a familiarity with and an affection for the Ivy League experience, and she's also a wonderfully warm and energetic person who will be a marvelous contributor to this community."

Chute said that what made her decide to accept the Harvard position was the opportunity to work for a first-rate educational institution as well as the chance to contribute to a publication that she considers excellent by any standard.

"I really like the magazine editorially," she said. "I think it's better written and edited than a lot of commercial magazines. It covers Harvard-related issues, but it also covers a broad range of intellectual currents. It's really a very good general interest magazine with high journalistic standards."

At the New York Times Custom Publishing division, Chute helped to create magazines for clients such as USAir, IBM, Four Seasons Hotel and Resorts, and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. She was in charge of developing sales presentations for new magazines as well as serving as marketing director for existing publications.

She began working for the New York Times Company in 1986, serving successively as circulation marketing analyst, manager of circulation marketing, manager of advertising sales development, and director of the new business development group.

Chute earned a bachelor's degree from Princeton University in 1981, majoring in comparative literature. She was also co-founder and captain of the women's rugby team. In 1986 she earned a master's degree in public and private management from the Yale School of Management.