Sherry L. Wagner-Henry

3237 Knollwood Way, Madison, WI 53713

Cell/Home: (651) 295-3296 Email: or

Overtwenty years of senior management experience in complex professional, nonprofit and academic settings, with two of the largest public universities in the country—University of Minnesota-Twin Cities and University of Wisconsin-Madison. Recognized for active participation in local, state, and national initiatives and partnerships to strengthen the arts, education and nonprofit sectorsthrough business leadership. I am committedto collaboration through life-long learning and vieweducation, creativity and public/private partnership opportunities as the catalysts whichfoster lasting impact and change.

The skills I bring include:

Creation of highly successful education/leadership programs at the University of Minnesota and University of Wisconsin, all with creativity at the core of learning and practice;
Building and stewarding partnerships with diverse stakeholder groupsthroughout multiple sectors for the purposes of organizational, fund and community development/rejuvenation;
Communicating mission, vision and goals through thought leadership presentations;
Practicing financial leadership in complex production organizations and academic programs;
Supporting board/staff development and aiding transitions in operational and governance models;
Training in cultural community and industry affairs through active board and committee service;
Coaching/mentoring staff and students, facilitating a culture of collaborative accomplishment through strengths-based career development;
Successful integration of marketing/communications, alumni and fund development initiatives.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON, Wisconsin School of BusinessAugust 2012 – Present

Director, Bolz Center for Arts Administration, an MBA specialization

Director, The Arts/Business Initiative (ABI),

Director, Aesthetics in Business/The Beauty Project

Maintain and grow the MBA degree, as well as arts entrepreneurship courses/certificatewith a focus on creative placemaking and the creative economy. Classroom theory augmented with community projectleadershipand applied learning. Stakeholder engaged across government, public and private sectors

Successful collaborations with people way smarter than me:

Created nonprofit board leadership opportunities for UW-Madison students and arts management students nationally through the creation of a Board Leadership Mentorship program, sponsored annually by USITTand the creation/delivery of a nonprofit board leadership service learning course

Building and testing a new initiative and learning outcomes through Aesthetics in Business program—a program that infuses arts-based strategies for leadership development in a business curriculum, positioned to serve more than 2500 business majors in the Wisconsin School of Business

Developed the first artist-in-residence role in the School of Business, sponsoring Diane Ragsdale to create and deliver a course on aesthetic development for business majors, called Approaching Beauty and hosting a Beauty Symposium featuring John Michael Schert formerly of the Trey McIntyre Project

Established regional and national consulting projects for MBA students with the Association of Performing Arts Presenters (APAP) and regional organizations like the Worm Farm Institute

Developing new coursework and programs for creative majors across campus in business and creative entrepreneurship skills, by serving on the curriculum committee and strategic planning committee for Arts Institute, UW’s arts leadership team on campus

Increased funding and participation of Bolz Programs by40%for applied practice projectsin the Centerduringmy first 18 months

Collaborated and helped deliver two successfulArts Business Research Symposiums, exceeding attendance and registration revenue goals and established annual partnership with the PAVE Program at Arizona State University to alternate hosting and production of symposium

Increased annual giving and planned giving to the Bolz Center in the first season of operation by 35%

Served on inaugural Executive Committee for the Any Given Child-Madison project, a Kennedy Center initiative partnering with the community school district and Madison arts community to ensure arts curriculum and experiences for children in K-8 public classrooms

SORT SOL GROUP CONSULTING, LLC (contract work)September 2015 – Present

Founder and Network Partner

We bringsocial, business, education, government, and philanthropicsectors together to create positive, meaningful, and sustainable change to benefit our communities. The team at SSG does thisby focusing on client impact in practice areas such as business modeling, group facilitation, governance, leadership, and strategy development. Bringing a networked consulting model, combined with community learning and development, we support projects tackling community issues of all types and sizes

Projects to date:

University of Utah—College of Fine Arts. Feasibility study and recommendations to guide the College in establishing a framework for launching a graduate degree program in arts administration

Madison Ballet/Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra—Madison, WI. Feasibility study and recommendations regarding the potential restructuring of the two organizations as one entity

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA-MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL November 2009 – 2012

Director of Graduate Programs-College of Continuing Education;

Faculty Director, Master of Professional Studies in Arts & Cultural Leadership (ACL)

Developed and maintained a portfolio of professional graduate degrees and post-baccalaureate certificates aimed at the working adult audience, with a focus on leadership development and applied learning approaches. Increased enrollments of both national and international students. Thesis advisor.

Collaboration highlights leading awesome people in these areas:

• Developed new Master of Professional Studies (MPS) in Arts and Cultural Leadership (Fall 2010) delivered in partnership with nonprofit management curriculum from the Humphrey School of Public Affairs. The program enrolled 18 students over the first three semesters

• Increased original portfolio of one Master and two post-baccalaureate certificates to a portfolio of five masters degrees and three certificates in first 24 months of leading as the new Director

• Responsible for building revenue and tuition dollars from $600,000 to $2M, with an additional $1M in earned revenues projected FY14 academic year. New Integrated Behavioral Health program (launched in Summer 2012) granted additional $1.6M for Center for Excellence Grant from the MN DHS

• Increased scholarship support of graduate programs in the college from $12,000 to $100,000+ in FY12. Students in ACL program awarded prestigious Kennedy Center Initiative fellowship and national finalist for the TCG LeadershipFellowship and recognized by other national organizations for their work

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA, MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAULJuly 1995 – October 2009

Title: Managing Director, University Theatre and Dance

Executive Director, Minnesota Centennial Showboat

University Theatre and Dance is one of the largest academic theatre/dance programs in the country, positioned in an arts-centric metro area of over 1.3 million residents. The Minnesota Centennial Showboat is the summer production company/performance venue of the Department and a regional presentation facility, which operates in Saint Paul under a unique public/private partnership between the University, Padelford Riverboats on Harriet Island Regional Park, and the City of Saint Paul

In venues on the West Bank Arts Quarter Campus:

• Led and managed a performing arts facility (five performance spaces) and year-round programming, serving curricular, presentational and performance needs of more than 400 students, 50 faculty/lecturers and dozens of community and visiting artists playing to combined audiences of@50,000 annually

• Negotiated rental, management and maintenance contracts on behalf of the College of Liberal Arts/U of M for four theatre spaces in Rarig Center and one performance space in Barker Center as well as several classrooms, shops and laboratory spaces. Major partners included Guthrie Theater, Penumbra Theatre, Playwrights’ Center, and the Minnesota Fringe Festival

• Established training programs and applied work experiencesfor undergraduate and graduate students working toward arts management education and careers

• Established funded initiatives around short-term programs and special projects, from internal and external funders

At Minnesota Centennial Showboat-Saint Paul:

• Supported capital campaign and purchase of Showboat- assisted in negotiation/re-negotiation of rental, management and maintenance/construction contracts on behalf of the College of Liberal Arts

• Established and maintained multiple public, private and government partnerships centered on management and operations of Showboat facility and adjacent dock/regional park property

• Led and managed a facility, summer programming and a company of summer student actors, technicians, designers and managers who played to 91-103% capacity audiences during my seven years as Executive Director

• Media representation and speaker engagements regarding University Theatre/Showboat at community, regional and national meetings and events, particularly on the topic of public/private partnership, community investment and engagement in the arts and nonprofit business

• Established and co-managed a donor advised fund (Saint Paul Foundation) and a matching grant fund (U of M Foundation) building scholarship funds for student employees of Showboat and Padelford Riverboats with a combined total of @ $150,000

• Delivery of arts management/leadership coursework/workshops to U of M students and cultural community, as well as supervision of student internships, directed studies, and senior seminar projects related to arts management/producing work

RELATED EXPERIENCE

Illinois State University, Normal, IL

Assistant General Manager, Illinois State Theatre/Illinois Shakespeare Festival, May 1992 –July 1995

American Repertory Theatre, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA

Audience Services and CompanyManager, contracted December 1994—January 1995

Illinois Arts Alliance, Chicago, IL (under the leadership of Alene Valkanas)

Arts Advocacy Project Manager, August 1991- May 1992 as Follett Fellow, Columbia College

Crown Communications, London, UK

Production Assistant, contracted January - May 1989(through Boston University)

INDUSTRY AND COMMUNITY SERVICE

Association of Arts Administration Educators (AAAE)—member 2008-present

Board of Directors, 2015-
Chair, Board Development committee, 2016-
Member, Finance Committee, Strategy Task Force, 2015-

United States Institute for Theatre Technology (USITT)--member 1998-

Board Leadership Mentorship Program, co-creator 2013, BLMP coordinator, 2013-
Secretary of the Institute, National Board of Directors, 2011-2014
Committee Chairs: Nominations, Governance and By-Laws, 2011-2014
Director-at-Large, National Board of Directors, 2007-2010
Member, Executive Director Search/Transition Committee, 2009-2010
Management Vice-Commissioner for Arts Administration 2005-2011 (founding position)
Co-chair, 50th Anniversary Planning Commission, 2007-10
Member, Finance Committee, 2005-2008, 2014-

Minnesota State Arts Board--panelist/site visitor, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2010

Metropolitan Regional Arts Council--grant panelist, 2009, 2011

Arts and Cultural Partnership of Saint Paul—member 2000-2009

Transitional Board of Directors member, 2000-2002
Board of Directors, 2004-2007
Committee chair, Planning and Organizational Development, 2005 – 2007
Nominations committee, 2006-2007

Project SUCCESS—Supporting Theater Partner, 1999-2009

Donor/sponsor, 2009-

Padelford/Showboat Education Fund – co-founded in 2004, advisory committee, 2004-2012

Forward Theater Company – Board of Directors, Development Committee, 2016-

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS

Association of Arts Administration Educators (AAAE), 2008-present
Association of Performing Arts Presenters (APAP), 2013-present
Americans for the Arts (AFTA), member, 2008-present
Theatre Communications Group (TCG), university affiliate member, 2000-2009
Board Source, 2009-present
Arts Wisconsin, 2012-present
Minnesota Citizens for the Arts (MCA)--member, 1995 – 2012
Arts Midwest-Arts Learning Exchange, 2009-2012
Minnesota Council of Nonprofits (MCN), 2011-2013
Association of Graduate Liberal Studies Programs - 2010-2012
United States Institute for Theatre Technology (USITT), 1998- present

SERVICE TO CAMPUS (UW-MADISON)

Arts Institute, Executive Steering Committee, Academic Affairs Committee, staff affiliate
Partnership for Creative Placemaking, founding member
Academic Planning Committee, Wisconsin School of Business, 2013-2014
Campus Public Art Committee, member
Town Hall Advisory Council (Wisconsin Institute for Discovery), member
New Arts Venture Challenge Committee, member
Artful Business Collective (ABC), faculty adviser

SELECTED GRANTS/FUNDING RECEIVED AS PART OF AN ADVANCEMENT TEAM

Minnesota Centennial Showboat Capital Campaign, $1.9M
Showboat/Padelford Education Fund at Saint Paul Foundation, $150,000
Saint Paul STAR grant (project and capital funds), $120,000+
Departmental U of M grants and project funds awarded, $150,000+
Center for Excellence-U of M - Dept. of Health and Human Services, $1.6M
Bolz Center Project Partner funding and other giving, $250,000+ annually

PUBLIC SPEAKING/KEYNOTES AND PRESENTATIONS TOPICS INCLUDE:

Creative Placemaking in Higher Education
Program Design and Curriculum Development
Community Service Learning
Nonprofit Board Governance and Leadership
Arts/Aesthetics and Business Initiatives
Public/Private Partnership, Campus and Community

EDUCATION

Leadership Fellow, Creative Community Leadership Institute, 2010-2011

Awarded by Bush Foundation (St. Paul) and Intermedia Arts (Minneapolis)

Master of Business Administration (MBA) College of Business/School of Theatre,

Illinois State University, Normal, IL –May 1995

• Concentrations: Arts Administration, Marketing

• Graduate Assistantship Awarded - 1992-95, Illinois Shakespeare Festival

Follett Graduate Fellowship, Arts, Entertainment and Media Management (AEMM)

Columbia College-Chicago, IL – August 1991 to May 1992

• Concentration: Performing Arts Management

Bachelor of Science in Communications

Illinois State University, Normal, IL –May 1989

References provided under separate cover.