Dr. Edie Demas Joins Tom O’Connor Consulting Group as Senior Strategist
Dr. Edie Demas
Tom O’Connor is pleased to announce that Dr. Edie Demas will be joining Tom O’Connor Consulting Group, LLC (TOCG) in the role of Senior Strategist effective January 1, 2022. Demas brings over 20 years of experience in arts leadership, with a particular focus on film, media, and performing arts as well as arts education and theater for young audiences, and will lend her expertise to a mixture of strategy projects and executive search engagements. She is based in the Washington, DC Metro area.
As an independent strategist and consultant, Demas has regularly partnered with TOCG in service to clients including SPACE on Ryder Farm, the Flint Institute of Music, Turnaround Arts at the Kennedy Center, and more. TOCG works across all artistic genres to help organizations create change with audiences at the center. From its beginning as a marketing consultancy, TOCG has expanded to include a wide range of strategy, organizational development, coaching, and executive search offerings.
Edie is an award-winning, internationally-recognized, creative leader with a broad range of experience spanning organizational, school, community, festival, and academic environments. She has been recognized as a Leading Woman in Business by 914INC, and as one of New York’s most socially responsible thought leaders. Most recently she served as Executive Director at the Jacob Burns Film Center, transitioning the organization from founding leadership. Prior to this she played leadership roles at The Wallis Center for the Performing Arts in Los Angeles and New York’s New Victory Theater. Regardless of context, her work has always focused on centering the fundamental connection between artist, art-work, and audience and breaking down the structures, systems, and assumptions that can create barriers to these experiences. She holds an MA and PhD from NYU’s Program in Educational Theatre. In addition to her role with TOCG, Demas will continue to maintain her own independent producing projects.
“Edie is one of our most trusted partners, and a veritable fountain of creativity and strategic thinking,” said Tom O’Connor, President of TOCG. “She is just the kind of collaborator that we strive to be for our clients every day—supportive, insightful, brave, and kind. I have known her for nearly 15 years and have always been inspired by her commitment to arts education and leadership that centers belonging and justice. I am thrilled that she has decided to join us, and that we will all continue to learn together as we work to create a healthier and more equitable arts ecosystem.”
“I could not be more pleased to be joining TOCG. Collaborating with Tom and his team in recent years has been a highlight of my career thus far. I am so lucky to have found thought partners that also value the relationship-building and iterative processes of this work. I look forward to deepening our work together as we create next practices in arts strategy and leadership that will further the dynamic change-making we aspire to.”
About Tom O’Connor Consulting Group
Tom O’Connor Consulting Group is a New York City-based arts consultancy offering strategy, assessment, executive search, and leadership coaching services to organizations across the US—all with a focus on audiences and measurable outcomes. Founded by Tom O’Connor in 2015, the TOCG team brings decades of experience working with and within arts organizations across the globe.
About Dr. Edie Demas
Edie Demas is an award-winning, internationally recognized, creative leader with a broad range of experience spanning organizational, school, community, festival, and academic environments. Regardless of context, her work has always focused on centering the fundamental connection between artist, art-work, and audience and breaking down the structures, systems, and assumptions that can create barriers to these experiences.
In 2019, she was recognized as a Leading Woman in Business by 914INC and in 2018, she received a Responsible 100 Award from City and State Media, honoring New York's most outstanding and socially responsible thought leaders and visionaries making transformative change.
Edie served as Executive Director of the Jacob Burns Film Center from 2014 through 2019 during its transition from founding leadership. A critical component of this work included the creation of the organization’s first strategic plan and workplace culture survey, as well as brokering several new programs and partnerships at the national level. Prior to this, she worked as a strategic collaborator on the opening of The Wallis in Los Angeles, where she consulted on mission, vision, and strategy as well as on the final phase of construction for the center’s education wing; collaborated on artistic programs; and designed a range of education and engagement programs serving people of all ages. She served as the Director of Education at New York City’s New Victory Theater for 10 seasons, launching its renowned Teaching Artist Ensemble. Her international experience includes several years in Ireland, where she worked with the Graffiti Theatre Company and The Abbey Theatre as well as several arts and music festivals.
Edie holds an MA and PhD from NYU’s Program in Educational Theatre, where she has held positions as a teaching fellow, producer, and adjunct faculty member.
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