FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FEBRUARY 3, 2023
Contact: Nan Keeton
(888) 234.4236 Ext. 203
BOSTON — Arts Consulting Group (ACG), the leading provider of hands-on management consulting services to the arts and culture industry, today announced that Heran Sereke-Brhan, Ph.D. has joined the firm as Vice President, Practice Leader to support the Strategic Planning & Community Engagement service area. Based in ACG’s Washington, DC location, Sereke-Brhan brings to the firm vast expertise in change management, community development, strategic visioning, and grantmaking programs within the arts and culture and government sectors.
A trusted and collaborative leader, Sereke-Brhan most recently served as Executive Director of the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities (CAH). While there, Sereke-Brhan oversaw agency operations and personnel functions, managing a budget of over $42 million with nearly 1,000 grant awards for District artists and arts and humanities organizations. She cultivated partnerships within DC Government and with various interested parties to align ideas, people, and resources around the mutual goal of enhancing arts and culture and responding to community needs. Sereke-Brhan worked closely with staff and the board of Commissioners to establish grant protocols and processes, championing structural inclusion throughout all grantmaking practices. With a focus on equitable access to resources and opportunities, Sereke-Brhan also guided the development of a State Plan for artistic projects and programs and supervised the execution of a Strategic Plan and a Public Arts Master Plan.
Sereke-Brhan previously served as Deputy Director for the DC Mayor’s Office on African Affairs overseeing programmatic initiatives and ensuring access to social services for immigrant African Diaspora residents. Sereke-Brhan has led and initiated projects at local, national, and international levels and fulfilled senior positions at cultural and educational institutions such as the School for International Training’s Study Abroad Program, Harn Museum at the University of Florida, the Ethiopian Community Development Council, Addis Ababa University, and Smithsonian National Museum of African Art. Sereke-Brhan has also served on the Advisory Committee for Art Forward Fund, a funding collaborative of the Greater Washington Community Foundation that promotes inclusion and equity for arts organizations.
In making the announcement, ACG Senior Vice President Hywel W. Sims said, “We are delighted to welcome Heran to the ACG team as Vice President. An inspiring thought leader, she brings a wealth of knowledge in arts, culture, and creative expression combined with years of expertise in Strategic Planning & Community Engagement. Her record of achieving outstanding results in directing cultural policy, managing change, and building strong cross-sector partnerships will be an invaluable asset to ACG and our clients.”
“My most recent experience has shown me the range and complexity of challenges, the resilience of artists and arts organizations, and the difference that increased public funding can make in a diverse ecosystem as Washington, DC.,” said Sereke-Brhan. “In many ways, ACG continues to build the resilience of arts organizations, retooling their vision and operations, strengthening their fundraising capacities, supporting their facilities and infrastructure needs, and placing qualified, dynamic arts administrators in leadership positions to help forge the way forward.”
Sereke-Brhan has spent over two decades conducting research on African histories and cultures and authored numerous publications on Ethiopian social and political history, arts, and material culture. She has also produced several stage performances and the short film Ethiopia in Movement. Sereke-Brhan holds a bachelor of arts degree in political, legal, economic analysis from Mills College, as well as a master of arts degree and a doctor of philosophy in history, with a focus on African, Caribbean and African-American history, both from Michigan State University.
About Arts Consulting Group
ACG is the leading provider of hands-on interim management, executive search, revenue enhancement, strategic planning & community engagement, facilities & program planning, and other capacity building services for the arts and culture industry. Founded in 1997, ACG is a full-service firm that effectively works with a wide range of nonprofit organizations, universities, government agencies, and for-profit entities that operate in the creative industries. The firm takes a contemporary approach to client challenges and opportunities focused on growing institutions, advancing arts and culture, and enhancing communities. ACG senior team members have leadership experience in every type of artistic and cultural discipline and they seamlessly adapt to clients’ rapidly changing strategies, business models, and operating environments. The firm currently has locations in Boston, Calgary, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, New York, Portland, Raleigh, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, St. Louis, Tampa, Toronto, Vancouver, and Washington, DC. ACG employees and consultants are embedded in communities throughout North America to invigorate clients so that they can achieve the delicate balance between cultural impacts and business sustainability. For more information, please visit ArtsConsulting.com or contact info@ArtsConsulting.com or (888) 234.4236.