Consulting Clients
Please click on a client name to view details.
February - May, 2011. Consultant for evaluating management of Genesee Theater and recommendations for improving effectiveness and efficiency of management and marketing.
Half-day consultancy on arts marketing issues with upper level theater staff. November 2012.
Northwest Indiana Symphony Orchestra, Munster, IN. February 2007 - 2009. Consultant in marketing, fundraising, management and some artistic issues. Worked with management and board to transition the organization to a new management structure, overseen by South Shore Arts. Made recommendations regarding marketing and development strategies and to help create materials.
Illinois Symphony Orchestra, Springfield, IL. February 2007 - August 2008. Consultant for management, marketing, fundraising, board development, and executive search, fulfilling many executive director roles and overseeing all marketing and fundraising during transition without an executive director.
Luna Negra Dance Theater, Chicago, IL, 2009.
Consultant, interim executive director, and executive director job search facilitator. Luna Negra was at a critical juncture, facing the imminent departure of its founding artistic director, needing a highly professional executive director, and seeking new and larger funding sources. Evaluated administrative structure and employees and recommended changes. Oversaw development, marketing, and financial management. Worked closely with board of directors.
Lake Forest Symphony, Lake Forest, IL. Executive Director, Sept 2006 - April 2008.
Responsible for managing, hiring, and coordinating staff, strategic planning, board development, marketing and development planning and implementation, and community outreach initiatives, with special emphasis on fundraising, board development, and audience development. This organization was in transition, having lost its venue of more than 30 years and performing in an alternate venue in another town while plans were being made for a new hall in Lake Forest. The Symphony faced significant financial challenges during this several year transitional period. Highlights during my tenure as executive director were increasing ticket income by 40 percent in one year (2006-2007 season) and raising special gifts including a one-time annual gift of $100,000 and an endowment gift of one million dollars.
Consultant to various organizations in the Peoria arts community. Special focus on strategic planning for Arts Partners, the organization which promotes the area's non-profit arts; and on workshops for managers and board members of area arts organizations. March 2004 - July 2005.
Chicago Opera Theater, Chicago, IL, consultant on all marketing activities, brand identity development, audience development; staff development for this organization readying for a move to a larger performance hall in the 2004 season. March 2002 - June 2003.
San Francisco Ballet (1996): Developed and wrote long-range strategic plan. Worked with executive staff and key board members to revise mission statement, determine key strategic objectives, create detailed plans and timelines; wrote comprehensive and abridged versions of the plan document.
San Francisco Symphony, San Francisco Ballet, San Francisco Opera, American Conservatory Theater (1996-1997): A market research project whose primary goal was to determine ticket pricing sensitivity of long term subscribers, short term subscribers, and single ticket buyers, but also provided rich data regarding their reasons for attendance, reasons for less frequent attendance than in the past, barriers to attendance, demographics, and attitudes toward new offers designed to increase attendance and to provide superior customer service. The consulting process included capacity utilization analyses from the four organizations for all performances over the previous three year period; the design, administration, and analysis of an extensive mail survey that garnered responses from more than 4,000 attenders of the four organizations; and recommendations to the organizations in the form of oral presentations and written documents.
San Francisco Symphony, San Francisco Ballet, San Francisco Opera, American Conservatory Theater (1996-1997): A market research project whose primary goal was to determine ticket pricing sensitivity of long term subscribers, short term subscribers, and single ticket buyers, but also provided rich data regarding their reasons for attendance, reasons for less frequent attendance than in the past, barriers to attendance, demographics, and attitudes toward new offers designed to increase attendance and to provide superior customer service. The consulting process included capacity utilization analyses from the four organizations for all performances over the previous three year period; the design, administration, and analysis of an extensive mail survey that garnered responses from more than 4,000 attenders of the four organizations; and recommendations to the organizations in the form of oral presentations and written documents.
San Francisco Symphony, San Francisco Ballet, San Francisco Opera, American Conservatory Theater (1996-1997): A market research project whose primary goal was to determine ticket pricing sensitivity of long term subscribers, short term subscribers, and single ticket buyers, but also provided rich data regarding their reasons for attendance, reasons for less frequent attendance than in the past, barriers to attendance, demographics, and attitudes toward new offers designed to increase attendance and to provide superior customer service. The consulting process included capacity utilization analyses from the four organizations for all performances over the previous three year period; the design, administration, and analysis of an extensive mail survey that garnered responses from more than 4,000 attenders of the four organizations; and recommendations to the organizations in the form of oral presentations and written documents.
San Francisco Symphony, San Francisco Ballet, San Francisco Opera, American Conservatory Theater (1996-1997): A market research project whose primary goal was to determine ticket pricing sensitivity of long term subscribers, short term subscribers, and single ticket buyers, but also provided rich data regarding their reasons for attendance, reasons for less frequent attendance than in the past, barriers to attendance, demographics, and attitudes toward new offers designed to increase attendance and to provide superior customer service. The consulting process included capacity utilization analyses from the four organizations for all performances over the previous three year period; the design, administration, and analysis of an extensive mail survey that garnered responses from more than 4,000 attenders of the four organizations; and recommendations to the organizations in the form of oral presentations and written documents.
Mary and Leigh Block Museum of Art (1996-2000): Long range strategic planning; long, medium, and short term marketing planning; image development; program development and planning; planning and formulation of new advisory groups; all in anticipation of new museum facility opening in September 2000.
AMS Planning and Research: consultant to this arts marketing consulting firm on development, implementation, and analysis of a nation-wide study to develop audiences for classical music, sponsored by the John S. Knight Foundation. 2000- 2001.
Racine Symphony Orchestra (1998): Meetings with board president, artistic director, and intensive seminar with full board in developing strategic direction and restructuring of the organization.
Ballet Memphis (1997-1998): strategic market analysis, strategic and tactical marketing planning; capacity and usage planning for new larger dance school and image development for new facility. Resulted in significant increase in number of subscriptions sold, revenue earned, and number of students in the next season.
Dayton Contemporary Dance Company (1996-1998): Worked with general director, artistic director, marketing director, board president, and others in strategic and tactical marketing planning.
Consultant to the Ford Foundation on educational programs for cultural entrepreneurs worldwide. Member of the Ford Foundation's World Culture Forum development team, a group of cultural professionals from across the globe invited to meet on two occasions in New York to develop this international triennial project. 2000.
onShore Consulting Company (1998-1999): Served as marketing consultant to this high-tech website development company in their creation and formulation of Brookfield Zoo's website.