Leading in a Time of Change: The 2022 Online Midwinter Managers Meeting
Learn more about the Midwinter Managers MeteingJanuary 31 - February 1, 2022
Open to League orchestra member Executive Directors and Youth Orchestra Administrators
Your leadership is more critical now than ever!
This January, join us online for two days of professional development and peer connection, as we take a deep dive into what it means to lead in a time of rapid change. You’ll hear from an inspiring keynote speaker, interact with other CEOs in your budget group, and examine the role you play in key aspects of your orchestra’s operations.
The opening session, sponsored by Threshold Acoustics, features Harvard Business School professor Nancy F. Koehn, whose latest book, Forged in Crisis: The Power of Courageous Leadership in Turbulent Times, spotlights how five of history’s greatest leaders managed crisis and, in doing so, accomplished extraordinary missions.
On both days you’ll have the opportunity to participate in facilitated field-wide roundtable discussions:
- Leadership and Audience Building, facilitated by David Snead, Handel & Haydn Society, with Kim Noltemy, Dallas Symphony Orchestra
- Leadership and Fundraising, facilitated by Giuliano Kornberg, Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera, with Catherine Heitz New, RSC Fundraising
- Leadership and the Digital Future, facilitated by Jessica Satava, Johnstown Symphony Orchestra, with Oliver Theil, San Francisco Symphony
- Leadership and Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, facilitated by Karina Bharne, Symphony Tacoma, with McKensie Mack, CEO of MMG
- Leadership and Financial Planning, facilitated by Jeff Alexander, Chicago Symphony Orchestra
View your constituency’s agenda (as of January 10):
- Group 1 (shared in League360 group)
- Group 2 (shared in League360 group)
- Groups 3-4 (PDF)
- Groups 5-6 (PDF)
- Groups 7-8 (PDF)
- Youth Orchestra Division (PDF)
Midwinter Seminar Update: Due to a family emergency, Kiran Singh Sirah is no longer available for the post-meeting seminar. We will refund anyone who has already paid for this event and will be in touch with you in the future when we have confirmed a new date and time.
Who Should Attend?
Executive directors and youth orchestra administrators from member orchestras of all budget sizes.
Cost
Super Early Bird (registered by Wednesday 12/15): $60Early Bird (registered by Thursday 1/13): $75Regular: $85
Meeting Schedule
Subject to change.
Monday, January 31, 2022
1:00pm-2:00pm Eastern / 10:00am-11:00am Pacific: Opening Session, sponsored by Threshold Acoustics
2:15pm-3:15pm Eastern / 11:15am-12:15pm Pacific: Cross Constituency Roundtable Discussions
3:30pm-5:30pm Eastern / 12:30pm-2:30pm Pacific: Constituency Meetings by Group
Tuesday, February 1, 2022
12:00pm-1:00pm Eastern / 9:00am-10:00am Pacific: Innovation Session, sponsored by Arts Consulting Group
1:15pm-2:15pm Eastern / 10:15am-11:15am Pacific: Cross Constituency Roundtable Discussions
2:30pm-5:30pm Eastern / 11:30am-2:30pm Pacific: Constituency Meetings by Group
Opening Session: Courageous Leadership with Nancy F. Koehn
Sponsored by Threshold Acoustics
Midwinter Managers Meeting opens with a presentation by Harvard Business School professor Nancy F. Koehn, whose research focuses on crisis leadership and how leaders and their teams rise to the challenges of high-stakes situations. She will explore the larger context of courageous leadership two years into a global pandemic—a pandemic that has unleashed other crises and that shows little sign of abating.
We will examine some of the key rules of the road for leaders in several sectors, including nonprofits. These tools and behaviors center on leading yourself during turbulent times, accessing and stoking resilience among your team members, taking stock of what you and your organization have learned during the past two years, and injecting credible hope and inspiration into your people.
The session will include time for questions, answers, and reflections.
Roundtable Discussions
Leadership and Audience Building
Facilitated by David Snead, Handel & Haydn Society
With Kim Noltemy, Dallas Symphony Orchestra
Audience attitudes to a return to the concert hall remain fragmented and difficult to predict. How do we cultivate engagement and loyalty in this still-shifting environment? What steps can we take to encourage our audiences to feel comfortable returning? And how might we reimagine our traditional ticket and subscription products to respond to changing audience needs? Join us to share tactics and ideas with your peers from across the country.
Leadership and Fundraising
Facilitated by Giuliano Kornberg, Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera
Fundraising conventions have been upended by the need to work in an online world. As we return to in-person fundraising events and cultivation, how do we rebuild the dynamic of live connection? Which donor segments offer the greatest latent fundraising potential? And what are the opportunities to benefit from what we’ve learned from fundraising online? Join us for a practical conversation with EDs from all budget groups.
Leadership and the Digital Future
Facilitated by Jessica Satava, Johnstown Symphony Orchestra
Two thirds of orchestra audiences see digital content as part of their future cultural lives, beyond the pandemic. Yet the challenges of sustaining and monetizing a digital content offer are profound. What digital content strategies and tactics are working? How do we determine the right approach for our organization? And beyond the music, what have we learned about digital storytelling as a tool for community and audience engagement? Join us to discuss practical steps towards our digital futures, with colleagues from across the field.
Leadership and Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
Facilitated by Karina Bharne, Symphony Tacoma
With McKensie Mack, CEO of MMG
Wherever we begin in our equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) work, it often becomes both more complex and more challenging as our journey continues. How do we embed our shared values, both in strategy and in programmatic work? How do we sustain commitment across the organization, as staffing and leadership changes over time? And how do we make sense of our own progress and learning? Join us to learn with EDs from orchestras at all stages of their EDI journey.
Leadership and Financial Planning
Facilitated by Jeff Alexander, Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Looking ahead to FY23 and beyond, many of us face our most significant financial challenges yet. As we contemplate lasting change to our audiences, our business models, our programming, and even our mission, how can financial planning help us navigate the future? What tools and tactics have our colleagues successfully employed? And how can the approaches we choose help to build organizational alignment and cohesion, as we move through this time of change? Join your colleagues from across the country to share experiences and expertise.
Innovation Session: Executive Leadership as a Catalyst to Understanding and Motivating Major Donors
Sponsored by Arts Consulting Group
The communication styles and motivations of major donors can be a mystery at times. Learn how to more carefully listen to and observe donor behaviors to inspire support for your orchestra.
Speakers: Bruce Thibodeau, Nan Keeton, and Wyona Lynch-McWhite, Arts Consulting Group
About the Speakers
Opening Session
Nancy Koehn (she/her)
Historian, James E. Robison chair of Business Administration, Harvard Business School
Nancy F. Koehn is a historian at the Harvard Business School where she holds the James E. Robison chair of Business Administration. Nancy’s research focuses on crisis leadership and how leaders and their teams rise to the challenges of high-stakes situations. Her latest book, Forged in Crisis: The Power of Courageous Leadership in Turbulent Times, spotlights how five of history’s greatest leaders managed crisis and, in doing this, accomplished extraordinary missions. She is currently working on a major study of civil rights leaders during the late 1950s and 1960s and what we can learn today from their bravery, commitment, methods, and purpose.
Nancy has written numerous books and authored HBS cases on Starbucks Coffee Company, Ernest Shackleton, Oprah Winfrey, Bono and U2, Whole Foods, Wedgwood, Estée Lauder, Madam CJ Walker, Dell Computer, and other leaders and organizations. She is currently writing an HBS case on John Lewis and the Civil Rights Movement and another case on John F. Kennedy and the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Nancy lives in Concord, Massachusetts and is a dedicated equestrian.
Connect with Nancy on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter
Roundtable Facilitators
Jeff Alexander (he/him)
President, Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Jeff Alexander began his tenure as President of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association (CSOA) in January of 2015. He has overseen the activities of the orchestra’s 125th anniversary season; worked in support of a wide range of domestic and international tour activities and education and community engagement programs; led several negotiations for collective bargaining agreements; and spearheaded a process to develop a new strategic plan adopted by the CSOA Trustees in June 2018 and a DEI Action Plan adopted in October 2021.
Jeff joined the CSOA from the Vancouver Symphony Society, where he served as President and CEO from 2000 to 2014. Prior to his tenure in Vancouver, Jeff spent 16 years with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, including 12 as General Manager. Jeff is a graduate of the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston where he majored in French Horn Performance.
Karina Bharne (she/her)
Executive Director, Symphony Tacoma
Karina Bharne is proud to serve as the Executive Director of Symphony Tacoma since 2018. Prior to this, she was the Interim Executive Director with the San Antonio Symphony. She also served as the General Manager with the San Antonio Symphony, as well as in a variety of operational roles with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Aspen Music Festival and School, and the Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts. Karina received her BFA in Trombone Performance, MA in Arts Management from Carnegie Mellon University, and MBA from Eastern Washington University.
In 2020, Karina was named one of the South Sound’s 40 under 40 by the South Sound Business Journal and was a member of the League of American Orchestras Emerging Leader’s Program. In her free time, Karina enjoys cooking, baking, and speaking Hebrew with her husband, bass trombonist Ilan Morgenstern.
Connect with Karina on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram
Giuliano Kornberg (he/him)
Executive Director Designate, Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera
Giuliano Kornberg is the current Executive Director Designate for the Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera (SP&O) and will become Executive Director of the organization on February 1, 2022. Previously, he was the Chief Revenue and Development Officer, where he worked with Executive Leadership to create and implement the revenue-generating strategy of the organization. In this role, Giuliano helped oversee major donor cultivation and stewardship, worked with corporate sponsors, foundations, government entities, and other organizations on partnerships, coordinated the organization’s Planned Giving program, oversaw the day-to-day execution of marketing and box office tasks, and assisted in crafting the SP&O’s overall message to the community. Through his efforts, Giuliano doubled the Philharmonic & Opera’s Annual Fund, helped increase the Endowment and Planned Gift commitments by 50%, raised hundreds of thousands of dollars in COVID-relief funding, and secured enough revenue to help ensure that the SP&O achieved a balanced budget for the past four years.
Connect with Giuliano on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram
Jessica Satava (she/her)
Executive Director, Johnstown Symphony Orchestra
Jessica Satava is a passionate advocate for the power of symphonic music to activate and unite communities. In 2019, she was appointed Executive Director of the Johnstown Symphony Orchestra, where under her leadership the orchestra has enjoyed its first year of fiscal balance in recent memory due to the aggressive pursuit and achievement of revenue goals, implementation of an innovative digital approach to fundraising and audience development, strategic board recruiting, and the initiation of key community partnerships to support inclusion and access for all. Jessica served previously in artistic and operations roles at the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University and the Aspen Music Festival and School, and in fundraising at the Baltimore’s Enoch Pratt Free Library, and is an alumna of the League of American Orchestra’s Essentials of Orchestra Management 2019. She serves on the Board of Directors of Beginnings, Inc., the Business Sector Committee of the Cambria County Drug Coalition, leads the Arts and Culture Sector for Johnstown’s Vision Together 2025, and teaches grant-writing as a member of the Peabody Institute’s Professional Studies faculty.
Connect with Jessica on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram
David Snead (he/him)
President and CEO, Handel & Haydn Society
David Snead is President and CEO of the Handel and Haydn Society in Boston. He came to H+H from the New York Philharmonic, where he served as Vice President of Marketing, Brand and Customer Experience for fourteen years. Prior to the Philharmonic, David led the marketing programs of the Pittsburgh Symphony, Guthrie Theater, Milwaukee Symphony, and Hartford Symphony; he has also served as Associate Marketing Director of the Minnesota Orchestra, General Manager of the Richmond Symphony and Executive Director of the Eastern Connecticut Symphony.
Speakers
Denise W. Barreto (she/her)
Co-Founder and Executive Producer, Serqet Productions and Media
Entrepreneur, author, and TEDx speaker Denise W. Barreto is a prominent 21st Century voice on inclusive leadership and storytelling. Whether in her role as a business strategist and managing partner of Relationships Matter Now, LLC or behind the camera as an executive producer and co-founder of Serqet Productions and Media, LLC, Denise is always challenging the status quo and building new, more inclusive narratives and environments across government, nonprofit, corporate and entertainment entities. At Relationships Matter Now, LLC, primarily delivering strategic planning facilitation, organizational and leader development and inclusion and diversity strategy, Denise and her firm has quickly become a go-to resource for non-profit and government agencies and businesses of all sizes who want to better leverage their relationships to grow their bottom line.
In 2020, Denise accepted an appointment from one of her political s/heroes and joined Cook County Government as its inaugural Director of Equity and Inclusion where she’s charged with leading the county to deliver its 2018 Policy Roadmap with a racial equity lens. She was twice elected to the Board of Trustees for the Village of Lake in the Hills, Illinois.
Since 2014, Denise has served on the Illinois Business Enterprise Program Council, a state commission that helps to implement, monitor, and enforce the goals of the Business Enterprise for Minorities, Females and Persons with Disabilities Act appointed by former Illinois Governor Pat Quinn. She is in her second year as the chair of the Parks and Recreation Board for the City of Evanston and serves as an advisory board member of the 101 Best and Brightest Places to Work – Chicago Chapter.
Connect with Denise on LinkedIn
James Haertel (he/him)
Board Member, Empire State Youth Orchestra
James Haertel is a board member of the Empire State Youth Orchestra and a high school band director in Albany, New York. In addition to his love of musi,c James is also a member of several local EDI committees.
Catherine Heitz New (she/her)
Project Consultant, RSC Fundraising
With more than two decades of experience in the nonprofit sector, Catherine Heitz New has consulted with organizations across the country to conduct successful annual, capital, endowment, and major gift campaigns. Her coaching approach blends active learning with guided implementation of best practices to realize immediate results while building long-term capacity.
Prior to joining RSC, Catherine served as the Chief Advancement Officer and Deputy Director of the country’s first arts council in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. She led The Council’s $30 million comprehensive campaign to build a multi-disciplinary arts facility, found The Arts Council Endowment and brand Winston-Salem as The City of Arts & Innovation.
An expert in advocacy and government relations, she has secured local, state, and federal funds for the arts. Highlights include increasing allocations for the North Carolina Arts Council, securing federal funds for building projects, and enacting revenue-generating legislation on the local and state level.
Connect with Catherine on LinkedIn
Linda Hill (she/her)
Wallace Brett Donham Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School
Linda Hill is regarded as one of the top experts on leadership. She was named by Thinkers50 as one of the top ten management thinkers in the world in 2013 and 2021 and received the Thinkers50 Innovation Award in 2015.
Linda’s research and consulting focuses on leadership development, leading change and innovation, and implementing global strategies. In 2014, she co-founded Paradox Strategies – an advisory and research firm that advises organizations and boards on leadership, innovation, and diversity and inclusion.
Linda has written award-winning articles and books, including Being the Boss: The 3 Imperatives of Becoming a Great Leader and Collective Genius: The Art and Practice of Leading Innovation, and been at the forefront of developing innovative multimedia development programs for managers. She has served on numerous public, private, and not-for-profit boards. She is currently a member of the Board of Directors of Relay Therapeutics, a member of the Team8 Fintech Strategic Committee, and is on the Board of Trustees of the ArtCenter College of Design and of Brigham Health.
Connect with Linda on LinkedIn
Nan Keeton (she/her)
Senior Vice President, Arts Consulting Group (ACG)
Nan Keeton is a strategic revenue leader, delivering successful cultural program and venue projects and serving artists and communities. With more than 20 years of national leadership experience connecting the arts to broad and diverse audiences, Nan has a deep understanding of the needs of arts and culture organizations, the economic realities they face, and the imperative to shape an equitable future that advances inclusion and belonging for all.
Prior to joining ACG, Nan served as Deputy Director, External Relations for the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, where she was responsible for leading the capital campaign, annual fund, membership, communications, marketing, visitor experience, museum store, legal, and community gallery programs. In addition to completing a campaign that raised more than $610 million for the museum’s expansion, her leadership enlarged and diversified the donor community, doubling the museum’s annual fund and membership. She also served as a key staff liaison to the board nominating group for the 70-member museum board, advancing a multi-year commitment to diversity.
Nan previously led External Affairs for the San Francisco Symphony and served as the Vice-President of Marketing and Business Development for Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. She is current board mentor for the Amateur Music Network, a recent board member for San Francisco Travel, and a founding member of San Francisco’s Civic Center Community Benefit District. She holds a bachelor of fine arts degree and a bachelor of science, business administration degree from the University of Florida, as well as a master of fine arts in drawing from New York Academy of Art.
Katha Kissman (she/her)
Organizational Development Consultant
Katha Kissman is an independent consultant based in the greater Chicago, Illinois area, and has served as a Senior Governance Consultant for BoardSource since 2006. Katha has more than 30 years of experience managing and consulting with nonprofits. Katha has provided individualized board consultation and training and has conducted workshops on governance issues to a variety of organizations. In addition to providing governance consulting through BoardSource, Katha has also served as an interim leader, providing a short- or long-term leadership bridge and nonprofit organizational development consulting. In 2006, Katha authored Taming the Troublesome Board Member and, in 2009, Trouble at the Top: The Nonprofit Board’s Guide to an Imperfect CEO (BoardSource). In 2015, she co-authored Transformational Governance: How Association Boards Achieve Extraordinary Change (ASAE Foundation/Jossey-Bass) with Beth Gazley, PhD. Katha received a B.S. in public administration at the School of Public Service at Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Becky Ludkiewicz (she/her)
Senior Consultant, Capacity Interactive
Becky Ludkiewicz is a Senior Consultant at Capacity Interactive, the premier digital marketing consulting firm for the arts. In her seven years with CI, she has collaborated with nearly 100 organizations spanning numerous arts genres and budget sizes, including multiple top-tier orchestras like Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Boston Symphony Orchestra. She works closely with client marketing departments and executive leadership to develop digital advertising strategies that effectively communicate with existing audiences and attract new ones utilizing creative and content-driven approaches.
Prior to joining CI, Becky worked for the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra where she managed all social media and traditional advertising within six regional markets. She received her BA in Music Management and MBA from the University of Delaware and continues to perform as a cellist recreationally.
Connect with Becky on LinkedIn
Wyona Lynch-McWhite (she/her)
Senior Vice President, Arts Consulting Group (ACG)
Wyona Lynch-McWhite joined ACG in 2016, bringing more than 21 years of experience leading art, university, and multidisciplinary museums. Her areas of expertise include executive search, museum planning, organizational assessments, strategic visioning, fundraising, and diversity training. As an Executive Search practice leader, she has led numerous search processes throughout the United States and Canada, placing executive leaders for a wide range of nonprofit organizations, universities, and government agencies. Wyona has also provided effective solutions in the areas of earned revenue enhancement, strategic planning, and museum planning for clients such as Collier County Museum Division, High Desert Museum, and Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern California.
Prior to joining ACG, she served as the Executive Director of the Fruitlands Museum, Fuller Craft Museum, and The Eleanor D. Wilson Museum at Hollins University. Wyona was previously a Director-at-Large and Program Committee Co-Chair on the South Eastern Museums Conference governing council and has served as a National Grant Reviewer for the National Endowment for the Arts and the Institute of Museum and Library Services. A 2006 participant in the Getty Center’s Museum Leadership Institute, she currently serves as the Leadership and Management Network Chairperson of the American Alliance of Museums and as a board member of the New England Museum Association. She graduated Magna Cum Laude with a bachelor of science degree from Florida A&M University and holds a master of fine arts degree from Columbia College, Chicago.
McKensie Mack (they/them)
Founder & CEO, MMG
McKensie Mack is a trilingual anti-oppression consultant, researcher, analyst, and the founder & CEO of MMG. MMG is a global social justice organization that specializes in organizational change management through a lens of data equity; helping people transform culture, practices, and policies at the intersection of race, gender, class, disability, and LGBTQIA+ identity. Their clients are currently based all over the world in the U.S., the UK, France, South Africa, Nigeria, Germany, Spain, and Peru. McKensie is the former inaugural Executive Director of Art+Feminism, one of the largest gender equity focused projects on Wikipedia.
John Mangum (he/him)
Executive Director and CEO, Houston Symphony
John Mangum is Executive Director/CEO and holder of the Margaret Alkek Williams Chair at the Houston Symphony. During the 2020/21 season, the Symphony was one of the only performing arts organizations in the world to present a full season for in-person and at-home audiences. Its programming reached 1.1 million people in all 50 states and nearly 40 countries. In July 2021, the Symphony announced Juraj Valčuha is its next Music Director, beginning with the 2022/23 season. Most recently, the Houston Symphony secured a five-year contract with its musicians, the longest in the orchestra’s history.
Before coming to Houston, Mangum served as President and Artistic Director of the Philharmonic Society of Orange County from 2014 to 2018. Prior to that, Mangum held senior artistic planning roles at several of the country’s leading orchestras — the New York Philharmonic, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the San Francisco Symphony, and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra.
Connect with John on LinkedIn
Jonathan Martin (he/him)
President and CEO, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
Jonathan Martin is in his fifth year as President and CEO of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Pops, Cincinnati May Festival, and Music and Event Management, Inc.
Prior to Cincinnati, Jonathan served as President and CEO of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra from 2012 to 2017. There he led initiatives that included the inauguration of a groundbreaking annual arts and music festival. Prior to leading the Dallas Symphony, Jonathan served for nine years as the General Manager of the Cleveland Orchestra. There he managed 22 domestic and international tours and residencies and helped develop and launch its ten-year residency program in Miami, Florida.
A native of Atlanta, Jonathan holds a music degree from Georgia State University and began his career at the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, where he served in five sequential positions over 14 years, most of it under the legendary music director Robert Shaw.
John McCann (he/him)
President, Partners in Performance
John McCann has more than 30 years of experience in helping leaders work more effectively. His clients have ranged from the American Association of Retired Persons to the New York Youth Orchestra.
In the area of innovation and strategy, John has worked with more than 300 of the nation’s leading cultural institutions. His clients within the philanthropic community have included the Wallace Foundation, Bush Foundation, Maryland State Arts Council, Grantmakers in the Arts, Grantmakers in Education, and the National Endowment for the Arts. John has assisted in the formation of unique partnerships and strategic alliances including Latino New South and the Global Artist Network.
For ten years he directed the graduate program in Arts Administration at Virginia Tech, and then for five years taught the capstone course in the graduate program in Arts Administration and Museum Leadership at Drexel University. He currently teaches non-profit management at Duke University Continuing Education.
He designed and now co-directs the Community Arts Education Leadership Institute (CAELI), now in its 11th year; designed and directs Rising Leaders a program for young arts professionals for the Michigan Council for Arts and Culture, and designed and serves as lead faculty for the Emerging Leaders Program for the League of American Orchestras. McCann is co-founder and currently a Board member of EmcArts, a nonprofit social enterprise for learning and innovation in the arts; and he serves on the Board of Directors for the Pauli Murray Center for History and Social Justice at Duke University.
Christine Mickletz (she/her)
Director, Gift Planning and Partnerships, New York Philharmonic
Christine Mickletz is an arts administrator with over 25 years of experience in strengthening cultural nonprofits. She is an innovative, entrepreneurial-thinking, non-practicing attorney who has dedicated her career to providing access to classical and contemporary arts for all members of the community.
During her career, Christine has raised well over $500 million to support scholarships, teaching artists, programs, capital funds, and operating expenses for some of the most reputable arts organizations and performance halls in the United States. For over the last two years, Christine has led the Gift Planning and Partnerships department for the New York Philharmonic, spearheading efforts to raise endowment and capitalization funding. Before joining the Philharmonic, she spent seven years consulting for arts organizations and created an innovative concept strategy for organizations to acquire and market planned gifts and creative gift planning techniques to increase both current revenue and deferred assets.
Before her consulting work, she served in leadership roles at several arts organizations, including Parsons the New School for Design, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts and The Philadelphia Theater Company, and she briefly oversaw the $200 million campaign to renovate the New York State Theater at Lincoln Center. Christine holds a Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Maryland, an Executive Leadership Certificate from Yale School of Management, and a Bachelor’s in Art History. She is a frequent mentor, speaker, and writer for national fundraising and cultural associations.
Connect with Christine on LinkedIn
Eric Nelson (he/him)
Client Engagement Officer, TRG Arts
Eric Nelson, Client Engagement Officer at TRG Arts, is proud to partner with performing and visual arts organizations of all shapes and sizes to grow patron participation, revenue, and community impact. Prior to re-joining TRG Arts, Eric was Director of Marketing & Communications for New York City’s Kaufman Music Center. He was also Vice President of Client Services, New Business, and Marketing for DCM, specializing in marketing and fundraising strategies for non-profit organizations. Eric started his career in the arts leading marketing efforts for Paul Taylor Dance Company.
Connect with Eric on LinkedIn
Kim Noltemy (she/her)
President and CEO, Dallas Symphony Orchestra
Kim Noltemy joined the DSO as CEO in 2018 after 21 years of holding senior positions at the Boston Symphony. Major initiatives during her tenure include appointing Fabio Luisi as Music Director, taking over management of the Meyerson Symphony Center from the city, launching a Women in Classical Music initiative for female composers and conductors along with the annual Women’s Symposium, implementing a comprehensive EDI plan, creating a COVID safety plan that allowed the DSO to perform more than 140 concerts in the hall and 200+ outdoors during the 2020-2021 Season, and developing an El Systema-like education program serving 500 kids in Southern Dallas, for which the board raised $7 million and named in her honor. Kim served as the Chair of the Dallas Arts District, has been honored as one of D-CEO’s top 500 for three years, and was a finalist for Texan of the Year in 2020.
Doris Parent (she/her)
Vice President of IDEAS (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access Strategies & Strategic Partnerships), The Philadelphia Orchestra
Doris Parent is the Vice President of Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access Strategies (IDEAS) and Strategic Partnerships at The Philadelphia Orchestra. In her role, she establishes and implements ways to create a more inclusive and diverse culture at the Orchestra, based on data-driven methodologies to drive sustainable change. Doris joined the Orchestra in 2011, and most recently served as the Senior Managing Director of Institutional Development, in which she led all facets of a multi-year fundraising and engagement strategies.
Doris serves on several nonprofit boards. She is currently the President for the Association of Fundraising Professionals in Greater Philadelphia, serving over 400 members. She also serves on the board of Piffaro, the Renaissance Band, and the Maven Leadership Collective. She holds two bachelor’s degrees in psychology and family studies from the University of Maryland and her master’s degree in business administration from the University of Phoenix.
Martin Sanchez (he/him)
Orchestra Director, Ed White Middle School
Martin Sanchez is the orchestra director at Ed White Middle School in the North East Independent School District. Martin is from San Antonio, Texas and received his Bachelor of Music in Music Education at the University of Texas at San Antonio in the fall of 2013. Before holding the job of director at Ed White, he held the Assistant Director position for several years in the UTSA String Project, a program to help university students hone their skills in string teaching. In 2013, he accepted the Lead Teaching Artist position for the YOSA Mas Program in the Edgewood Independent School District. He has also been involved with the YOSA Summer Symphony Camp for several years. Martin is a member of the Texas Music Educators Association and Texas Orchestra Directors Association.
Pratichi Shah (she/her)
Orchestra Director, Ed White Middle School
Pratichi Shah is an HR strategist and thought leader with over twenty-five years’ experience in talent and HR in the nonprofit and for-profit sectors. She is the founder of Flourish Talent Management Solutions (FTMS), a firm focused on increasing impact in nonprofits and philanthropies through talent strategy; culture alignment; equity and inclusion; training and organizational development; and leadership coaching.
Prior to launching FTMS, Pratichi was the Chief Talent Officer (CTO) for Independent Sector, Global Director of the Employer of Choice function for Willis Towers Watson and worked in the Organizational Effectiveness at the George Washington University and Hospital.
Pratichi often speaks about talent strategy to national audiences, has written for the Chronicle of Philanthropy and Stanford Social Innovation Review, and has been quoted in the New York Times annual “Giving” section. She serves on the Boards of the League of American Orchestras and BBB Wise Giving Alliance, and on Advisory Councils for Equity in the Center and Fund the People.
She holds an MBA from American University, a BA from Eckerd College, and an executive coaching certification from the Newfield Network.
Connect with Pratichi on LinkedIn
Oliver Theil (he/him)
Head of Digital Innovation, San Francisco Symphony
With over 30 years of experience in performing arts management, Head of Digital Innovation Oliver Theil has broad oversight of the San Francisco Symphony’s digital media and creative technology strategies. Under his leadership, the SF Symphony has become a model through its in-house production and media company SFS Media, its robust use of technology, self-produced content, and Emmy and Grammy award-winning television programs and recordings. Through its significant digital portfolio, Oliver has greatly expanded its digital presence, deepened engagement with audiences, produced one-of-a-kind projects and collaborations, and driven innovation and creativity in an evolving field. Current high visibility programs including Ligeti: Paradigms in which artificial intelligence meets immersive audio, 2021 Re-Opening Night on PBS Great Performances, and the Grammy nominated Throughline audio and video releases on its new video streaming service SFS+. Oliver is regularly engaged to speak about content, communications, and digital media strategy and trends in the performing arts.
Connect with Oliver on LinkedIn
Bruce D. Thibodeau (he/him)
President, Arts Consulting Group (ACG)
Dr. Bruce D. Thibodeau founded ACG, an LGBTQ-owned enterprise, in 1997 and has guided hundreds of nonprofit, university, and government clients in achieving effective leadership transitions, planning cultural facilities, increasing revenues, developing dynamic institutional brands and messages, crafting strategic plans and business models, and revitalizing board governance practices. He has also conducted extensive research in a threefold exploration of stakeholders, nonprofit arts management, and cultural facility project management and has facilitated numerous community engagement processes that have increased the public dialogue and stakeholder awareness of the arts and culture sector’s value and impact on communities. As both a researcher and practitioner, his expertise highlights the important roles of project champions and followers as they overcome inertia and gain momentum derived from their social connections, personal commitments, and financial capacities to support the arts and culture sector.
Prior to founding ACG, Bruce held various management roles at the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Hartford Symphony Orchestra, Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, Price Waterhouse, and Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles. He is a regular guest speaker at national and international arts, culture, and academic conferences and has several published papers. He holds a doctorate of business administration from the Grenoble Ecole de Management (France), a master of business administration from the F.W. Olin Graduate School of Business at Babson College, and a bachelor of music from The Hartt School at the University of Hartford. He also has multiple certifications in competencies, communications, and motivations analysis from Target Training International.
Lynn Tuttle (she/her)
Executive Director and CEO, American String Teachers Association
Lynn Tuttle, CAE, serves as Executive Director and CEO of the American String Teachers Association, the nation’s premier service organization for string educators in schools, in private studios, and in higher education.
Prior to coming to ASTA in June 2021, she served as the Director of Public Policy, Research, and Professional Development for the National Association for Music Education, overseeing all in-person and virtual professional development, the creation and dissemination of six publications, and the association’s federal grants portfolio. She also led the association’s policy work at the federal and state levels. Lynn has also served as the Director of Arts Education for the Arizona Department of Education and is a founding member of the State Education Agency Directors of Arts Education (SEADAE). She co-led the creation of the 2014 National Core Arts Standards, and is the guest-editor for the Arts Education Policy Review focused on COVID-19 and K-12 arts education.
Questions?
Please contact Member Services at member@americanorchestras.org.
The Midwinter Managers Meeting Opening Session has been graciously sponsored by Threshold Acoustics.
The session on Executive Leadership as a Catalyst to Understanding and Motivating Major Donors has been graciously sponsored by Arts Consulting Group.
Additional generous support for Midwinter provided by Boomerang Carnets | CIB.
Upcoming Events
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Event | Innovation Webinar | October 22, 2024
How AI is Evolving the Creation and Performance of Music
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Event | Executive Leadership & Management Conference | January 26 - 27, 2025
2025 Midwinter Managers Meeting, New York City
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