Your mission is my passion.
Charles Owens Arts Consulting
I'm here to help your organization thrive. With more than 35 years of arts and culture leadership experience in Executive Recruiting, Senior Management, Development/Fundraising, and Marketing/Communications, I'm passionate about the arts and I'm devoted to your success. Let me know what my firm can do for you.
Charles Owens Arts Consulting
— Services —
Experience and Perspective. Proven Results. Exceptional Commitment.
Executive Search and
Interim Management Solutions
Finding the talent you need to grow your organization.
Building on three decades of experience and an extensive network of outstanding culture-sector professionals across North America — we provide exceptional leadership and talent solutions for organizations like yours. Our recruiting philosophy emphasizes efficiency, economy, transparency, and the personal touch only a boutique firm can provide. Our clients have ranged from the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center and Cleveland's Dobama Theatre to the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra, Delaware Symphony Orchestra, and South Carolina Philharmonic.
Development and Fundraising
Strategies
Strengthening your organization by maximizing revenues, deepening engagement, and building capacity.
We offer consultation in Fundraising strategy and execution, Donor Engagement, Development Communications, and Grantwriting, along with best practices in Management and Governance. Our focus is arts and culture — from start-up nonprofits like the Harmundi Foundation in Rochester, NY, to well-established institutions like the Shaw Festival Theatre in Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON.
Career Development Expertise
Advancing your career through expert guidance.
Looking to advance your career — or pivot to a new one — in fundraising, marketing communications, and the arts? We'll help you put your best foot forward by evaluating and/or redrafting your resume, cover letters, and online presence. And we'll offer expert consultation to help you grow your network and seek opportunities that are just right for you.
Contact me today to find out how our services can benefit you and your organization.
About Our Principal
Charles Owens is a respected leader in the nonprofit arts sector. Over the past 35 years, he has been recognized for his success in driving growth in earned and contributed revenues, as well as his commitment to advancing audience diversity and community engagement, inspiring innovation in programming, and recruiting the next generation of leaders.
Since 2020, he has been the Senior Development & U.S. Relations Ambassador for the Shaw Festival Foundation in Buffalo, working with donors and community leaders in advancing U.S. support and awareness of the acclaimed Shaw Festival Theatre in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario. From 2007 to 2015, he was President & CEO of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, which achieved record-breaking subscription, single-ticket, and Annual Campaign revenues under his leadership. Owens previously led the Hartford Symphony Orchestra as its Executive Director (1999-2007), where he accomplished a dramatic turnaround by increasing earned and contributed revenues, growing the budget by more than 60%, and garnering national recognition for community engagement. His previous positions include marketing/public relations roles for The Cleveland Orchestra, Cleveland Play House, and Columbus Symphony Orchestra, and as Director of External Affairs for the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, where he and his team boosted membership and contributions to historic high levels.
More recently, as an executive recruiting consultant, he has focused on identifying and placing skilled leaders, talented fundraisers, and creative marketing professionals in arts organizations around the country. His community involvement has included board roles with Harmundi Foundation, Rochester Convention Center Management Corporation, Rochester Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, Edward C. and Ann T. Roberts Foundation, Connecticut Arts Alliance, The Hartford Chorale, and CONCORA; periodic guest-lecturing on arts management for University of Rochester's Eastman School of Music, University of Hartford's Barney School of Business, University of Connecticut, and Syracuse University; serving on grant panels for Arts & Cultural Council for Greater Rochester and Greater Hartford Arts Council; and serving as a Charter Member of the Dean's Circle at Eastman School of Music. An alumnus of Denison University, he has served his alma mater in numerous volunteer leadership capacities.
Contact Us
200 Lakefront Boulevard, Suite 202
Buffalo, NY 14202-4355
585.303.7839