Cultural Projects Planner Katie Oman Joins Arts Consulting Group in its Seattle Office

	Katie Oman, Arts Consulting Group

Bruce D. Thibodeau, president of Arts Consulting Group, Inc. (ACG), announced today that Katie Oman has joined the firm as a senior consultant based in the company's Seattle office. She will work throughout the US and Canada to expand ACG's facilities planning practice, with a special emphasis on sustainable development in the arts and culture sector. Oman brings over 12 years' experience consulting for theatres, opera and dance companies, universities, and museums, with deep technical expertise and a sensitivity to the unique needs and aspirations of cultural organizations. Prior to joining ACG, Oman was a project manager with Fisher Dachs Associates, a world-renowned theatre planning and design firm. Her projects have included a new experimental performance space at Seattle's ACT Theatre, a feasibility analyses for Alberta Ballet, and capital project planning and design at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City.

In recent years, Oman's work has expanded beyond the performing arts to address facilities planning across the cultural sector. Her work includes a strategic sustainability plan for Pacific Science Center, an innovative web resource for ArtsBuild Ontario addressing capital projects and sustainable operations, and an upcoming session on sustainable urbanism and adaptive reuse for arts and culture at this year's World Stage Design Conference in Cardiff, Wales. She holds a bachelor of arts in architecture from Princeton University and will complete a master's in public history and cultural heritage at Trinity College Dublin in 2013.

Oman said, "In our post-bubble economy, cultural organizations have to consider sustainability in an integrated way with other success drivers and think of themselves as components of a healthy cultural ecosystem. Our sector needs strong leadership and informed decision making around cultural policy, facilities development, and environmental impact. Through my work with ACG, I hope to help cultural organizations make innovative and creative choices for their facilities and communities."

Thibodeau stated, "Katie Oman has dynamic experience, knowledge, and capacity to help numerous arts and cultural organizations around the world. Her location, education, and expertise in architecture, theater planning, and facility development add depth and breadth to the ACG team. We welcome Katie and look forward to her positive impacts with ACG's clients internationally."