Cultural Organization Management: Leading Through Change

Brett Egan leads the Institute’s team of consultants and educators, working on projects across six continents to support arts organizations and executives with strategic planning, marketing, community engagement, human resource development, and fundraising. In the U.S., he manages multiyear capacity-building initiatives funded by the Ford Foundation, collaborating with community-based organizations from Ajo, Arizona, to Miami, and overseeing a two-year partnership with Bloomberg Philanthropies to train 261 organizations in major cities. His efforts extend internationally, where he has facilitated groundbreaking training programs in countries like Ireland, Croatia, and Vietnam, partnering with local arts leaders and governments. Egan's consultancy work includes long-term strategic planning and serving as interim director for various clients. Notably, he was the Interim CEO of the Royal Opera House Muscat, leading the institution through its inaugural season, which featured renowned performers and achieved 92% average attendance. With experience as Executive Director of Shen Wei Dance Arts and various other cultural organizations, Egan co-authored The Cycle: A Practical Approach to Managing Arts Organizations and frequently speaks at conferences on audience engagement and the influence of new media in arts management. A magna cum laude graduate of Harvard University with a degree in Cultural and Performance Theory, he holds the Antarctic Service Medal and a Princess Grace Fellowship. Egan is a trained actor and theater director and is passionate about classical piano. He lives in Washington, D.C., with his wife, Joan.

Michael M. Kaiser directs the DeVos Institute's training and consulting programs globally. From January 2001 to August 2014, he served as President of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., where he significantly enhanced educational and artistic programming, oversaw major renovations of the theaters, and pioneered arts management training. He founded the Kennedy Center Arts Management Institute, which became the DeVos Institute of Arts Management in 2010, earning him the title of President Emeritus in 2014. Previously, Kaiser was Executive Director of the Royal Opera House in the UK, where he eliminated a historic deficit and completed a £214 million redevelopment. He also held leadership roles at American Ballet Theatre and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Foundation, where he successfully erased deficits and expanded programs. A graduate of the MIT Sloan School of Management and Brandeis University, Kaiser has received numerous accolades for his contributions to the arts, including the Dance Magazine Award, the Order of the Polar Star from the King of Sweden, and honorary doctorates from Georgetown University and the University of Missouri-Kansas City. He has also lectured on arts administration at NYU and the University of the Witwatersrand.