Margaret Genovese is a Senior Partner in the consulting firm of Genovese Vanderhoof & Associates (GVA), offering services in executive search, development and fund-raising, marketing, strategic and operational planning, board development, and related income development and management areas. Headquartered in Toronto, the firm has undertaken projects on behalf of arts clients in every Canadian province, 42 American states, the District of Columbia, Yukon Territory, and the United Kingdom. GVA has had the pleasure of working with more than 300 arts institutions and has recruited more than 200 individuals for cultural organizations.
Margaret recently received the Robert Johnston Award for Excellence in Human Resources in the Arts. She was recognized for “the significant impact she has made on the field of arts & culture management, her dedication to educating and supporting new generations of cultural works, and her commitment to mentorship within the cultural industry,” and for her significant contribution to the Canadian cultural landscape. She was described as “insightful, passionate, inspiring, and committed to passing on her values of partnership mentorship, and professionalism to everyone with whom she works.”
Margaret is a graduate of Brown University with an AB in cultural anthropology and received both MBA and MFA degrees from Southern Methodist University (the first graduate of this combined program). She holds a Certificate in Canadian Studies from Ryerson Polytechnic University and was awarded a Fellowship to the Theatre Program of the National Endowment for the Arts in Washington. D.C.
Prior to moving to Canada, she worked for Trinity Square Repertory Company (Providence, RI), Theatre Company of Boston, Houston’s Alley Theatre, the Association of American Dance Companies, and was Marketing Director for Houston Grand Opera.
Margaret has also been Acting Marketing Director on three occasions for the San Francisco Opera.
For ten years Margaret served as Director of Planning & Community Relations for the Canadian Opera Company, working for Lotfi Mansouri. She is proud of being part of the senior management team that introduced “Surtitles” to the opera industry, a concept now embraced by every major opera producer in the world today.
Margaret started her own consulting firm with Dory Vanderhoof in 1989.
Margaret and Dory introduced the concept that multi-year strategic and operational planning is the most important ingredient for institutional success, development, and growth. To this end she has assisted numerous clients to fulfill their mission, stabilize and grow their institutions through the introduction of a planning process that combines dynamic income maximization programs with considered artistic vision and achievement.
With Dory she was a co-director (and founder) of the Income Managers Program, federally and provincially funded initiative of the Centre for Cultural Manager, Canada Council, and Cultural Careers Council Ontario to train people in the areas of cultural marketing and development. They have trained more than 600 professionals.
Well-known as a teacher and trainer in the cultural sector, Margaret has been an adjunct faculty member at Confederation College (Thunder Bay, ON), and has served on the advisory boards for the Centre of Cultural Management at the University of Waterloo, Confederation College, and Sir Sandford Fleming College. She has taught at the University of Toronto/Scarborough, University of Waterloo, Simon Fraser University, Centennial College, the Banff Centre School of Management, and most recently at Queen’s University as adjunct professor for a new master’s degree program in arts leadership.
She has written two short books: HOW TO GET THE BOARD YOU NEED (Orchestras Canada, 1997) and THE ART OF THE VOLUNTEER (The Council for Business and the Arts, 1993), as well as numerous studies and articles, and has served on the editorial board of the INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ARTS MANAGEMENT.
Margaret has served on the boards of the League of Historic American Theatres, Toronto Theatre Alliance, Performing Arts Development Fund of Toronto, OPERA CANADA Publications, the Association of Cultural Executives, and the Textile Museum of Canada (where she was elected an Honorary Trustee in recognition of her volunteer service).
She chaired the Marketing Committee for the International Society for the Performing Arts planning group for ISPA’s 1995 conference in Toronto and has served on ISPA’s Nominating, Governance, and Membership Committees.
Margaret has also been the recipient of the Association of Cultural Executives Award for her “outstanding contribution and dedication to Canadian cultural management.”
Margaret is a voracious reader, an avid knitter for charity, a keen traveler (85 countries and all seven continents), and an enthusiastic consumer of cultural activities in every genre.