Consulting Services

I work with clients on specific organizational questions and on longer-term change. We agree on the scope, the deliverables, and the fee before the engagement begins, and I do the work myself. Most engagements fall into the areas below.

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Institutional Strategy and Governance

  • Strategic planning, from the first diagnostic through board adoption

  • Board retreats and preparation for a planning process

  • Governance reviews and board development

  • Organizational structure and staffing assessments

  • Mission, vision, and values

Leadership Counsel and Interim Roles

  • Counsel for executive directors, artistic directors, and board chairs

  • Interim and acting executive roles

  • Succession planning

  • Fellowships and programs for emerging leaders

Philanthropy and Program Evaluation

  • Program design and evaluation for foundations

  • Grantmaking strategy, including trust-based approaches

  • Capital campaign strategy and the case for support

Artistic Programming and Commissioning

  • Festival and residency design

  • Commissioning new work

  • Programming that serves the community around an institution

  • Vision and strategy the arts in higher education

  • Program and facility assessments

  • Organizational structure and staffing

  • Campaign planning for the arts on campus

Arts in Higher Education

Keynotes, panels, and workshops for boards, staff, and conferences. Recent talks include:

  • Leading Cultural Institutions into the Future

  • The Arts as Civic Infrastructure

  • Transforming Philanthropy for Systemic Impact

  • High Performing Boards of Directors

    Select recent engagements

  • Opening Keynote, The Stoa Foundation, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, 2026

  • Commencement Address, Bienen School of Music, Northwestern University, 2026

  • Keynote Address, Annual Conference, Association of California Symphony Orchestras, 2026

  • Panelist, “Wealth: Patronage and the Arts,” The New York Philharmonic, 2026

  • Moderator, “Now is the Time Artists Go to Work,” Princeton Atelier and Park Avenue Armory, 2026

  • Moderator, “Leading Creatively,” International Society for the Performing Arts Congress, 2025

  • Graduate seminars and guest lectures at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Yale, USC Thornton, Indiana University, and The New School

To discuss a speaking engagement, please get in touch.

Speaking Engagements

Contact Emil