New York City Metropolitan Area
15+ years as a leader of multi-disciplinary teams with demonstrated success in the nonprofit, for profit, cultural, and education sectors. Believes the strength of any organization hinges on having a strong, connected team of people. • Working with PBR Executive Search to place talented leaders at some of the most mission-driven, impactful organizations. • Strategic thinker with the business acumen and logistical expertise to bring big picture ideas to life • Proven leader comfortable with board-level reporting and oversight of day-to-day deliverables • Collaborative team builder with strong interpersonal, communication, and organization skills • Poised under pressure with a healthy sense of humor and a passion for creative problem solving
I am an independent consultant working with the team at PBR Executive Search to recruit senior and excutive leaders for organizations such as museums, institutions of higher education, social service agencies, foundations, and performing arts organizations. I have had an array of leadership experiences over the years, primarily with entrepreneurial and deeply mission-driven nonprofits. So I bring an organizational growth and development lens to search work. I am happiest when working in service of others, and I believe in putting people first because they are the key to thriving organizations. Using my past leadership experience to find talent for impactful organizations is both a privilege and a joy!
The mission of the Brunswick School (TBS) is to provide a safe, nurturing, and inspiring learning environment, and a holistic education that considers children’s physical, cognitive, and social/emotional well-being. TBS helps children reach developmentally appropriate milestones, using an adaptable curriculum that meets the unique needs of each child and allows teachers to utilize their own talents and strengths. The school believes that fostering creativity, offering hands-on experiences, and connecting the classroom with the real world through monthly themes, are effective ways to engage and develop young minds so they can thrive in elementary school and beyond. The school was also founded on the belief that the diversity of Jersey City should be celebrated. As such, TBS is committed to fostering meaningful connections with its extended community of students, families, teachers, and staff. As CEO / Head of Schools, was responsible for: * Being the face and voice of the school, through regular communications with all constituents * Overseeing a large team of teachers and staff at all three school locations * Ensuring high-quality service to hundreds of families whose children/students ranged in age from 4 months through 7 years old * Leading the school community through unprecedented difficulty in 2020, due to COVID-19; included temporarily closing the school, bringing Kindergarten and 1st grade online for remote learning, and safely reopening the school.
The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History is a New York-based national nonprofit devoted to the teaching and learning of American history. Gilder Lehrman draws on top scholars, an unparalleled collection of original historical documents housed at the New York Historical Society, and a national network of thousands of affiliate schools to create and provide a broad range of innovative resources, and to help new generations of students learn about American history in ways that are engaging and memorable. As the COO of Gilder Lehrman, was responsible for: * Ensuring that the President's vision was realized as efficiently and effectively as possible. * Managing and growing the organization’s operations capacity, by overseeing the work of all 35+ staff in the collection, education, exhibitions/public programs, digital programs, finance, development, IT, and marketing departments. * Developing and implementing best-in-class systems and structures to ensure that every aspect of the Institute functioned at an optimal level. * Creating and overseeing the implementation of new initiatives, including the Hamilton Education Program. * Strategic planning that transformed the organization by increasing its impact and reach, deepening its mission, and bringing greater long-term stability.
The Brooklyn Urban Garden Charter School (BUGS) is a public charter middle school (6th - 8th grades) in Brooklyn’s Community School District 15, primarily serving the Gowanus, Red Hook, Sunset Park, Kensington, Carroll Gardens, and Park Slope neighborhoods. BUGS opened August 2013 with its inaugural class of incoming 6th graders and has become a school of approximately 300 students by September of 2015. As the Founding Director of Operations designed, built and led all operational aspects of the new school by: • Overseeing facilities planning, renovations, and maintenance. • Implementing and maintaining all IT and student information systems. • Administering all transportation, food, and health services. • Managing non-instructional staff, as well as HR/payroll processing for all school employees. • Developing, negotiating, and maintaining vendor contracts and relationships. • Projecting and tracking the school's operational expense budget. • Organizing community engagement efforts, including coordination of the public admissions lottery and enrollment process. • Supporting instructional staff with various projects and special events. • Ensuring compliance with NYS Education Department, charter authorizers and other regulatory bodies.
As the Director of Traveling Exhibition Operations, ensured the safe and successful planning, staffing, shipping, and installation of the Museum’s traveling exhibitions. * Managed 18 exhibitions simultaneously and 50+ installs/de-installs worldwide per year. * Responsible for the safe handling of exhibition material, including everything from walls to one-of-a-kind artifacts/collection items, specialty lighting/tech equipment, even live animals. * Supervised a team of 8, in addition to a larger number of contractors, part-time employees and indirect reports. * Built and tracked total expense budgets of $6 - 8 million per fiscal year. * Coordinated massive, complex logstics (domestic and international shipping, couriers, permitting, customs) for time-critical movement of exhibition materials. Each exhibition packed into 10-12 containers worth of crates (valued from $500K - $350M), costing $150-250K per conveyance. * Supported the Sales team during all contract negotiation phases (ran cost estimates, scheduling options, draft contract terms, risk assessments, etc.). * Collaborated with the Exhibition team to ensure design suitability for the road. * Worked closely with colleagues in the Budget, Communications/Marketing, and Development offices. * Invited to be a founding member of the Museum’s “Incubation Committee,” tasked with assessing the potential success and competitive landscape for prospective exhibition topics.
During a major re-org of the team, served as the Acting Director of the entire department. * Oversaw all business areas – traveling exhibitions, licensing, educational publishing, intellectual property, design, planning and fabrication services, and a high-end, guided tourism program. * Accountable for the department’s bottom-line. During one-year term increased the overall net revenue by 44% from the previous fiscal year. Reported directly to the Museum’s CFO. * Directly supervised a team of 18, in addition to larger group of contractors, part-time employees and indirect reports in the Exhibition, Registrar, Conservation, and Security departments.
* Ensured the overall safe and successful planning, installation and management of 13 traveling exhibitions * Directly managed the day-to-day logistics for 5 of the exhibitions - coordinated schedules, shipping, staff planning, installation guides, floor plans, graphics and media translations (for international venues), etc. * Supervised a team of 4 project managers and installers.