| Cultural Tourism DC's Board of Directors has named Steven E. Shulman, an experienced leader in arts administration, economic development, and fundraising, as its new executive director. He assumes his role at the nonprofit coalition of more than 230 arts, heritage and community organizations April 1, 2013. "Cultural Tourism DC is poised to build on the extraordinary contributions it makes to DC's cultural community, its neighborhoods and the hundreds of thousands of people who live and visit here," said Board Chair Timothy C. Cox. "We are excited about Steve's business acumen, his leadership experience in the arts and his entrepreneurial spirit combining to move Cultural Tourism DC to even greater heights at a time when what we have to offer has never been more needed. The fact that he is passionate about what we do and has been deeply connected to the organization is an enormous bonus." Shulman returns to Washington, DC after nearly seven years in Florida in a variety of roles. As president of the Greater Hollywood Arts Foundation, Inc., Shulman was charged with raising $6.8 million for the ArtsPark at Young Circle. Following Hurricane Katrina, he coordinated the early assessment of damaged collections for the American Association of State and Local History. The Getty Foundation provided $2 million to the New Orleans Museum of Art based upon the team's early assessment of Katrina damage. This experience became the genesis for creating Our Heritage Vault, Inc., where he was executive director. The company offered services to digitize and protect family photographs and documents and published Our Heritage Preservation, an electronic magazine with tips for preserving, securing, and sharing family memorabilia. Prior to his southern experiences, Shulman was executive director of the American Red Cross Museum in Washington from 1998 to 2005. In addition to launching the museum, Shulman created a "First Aid for Fine Art" fundraising program to support conservation of more than 41,000 objects. It was during this time that Shulman was recruited to serve on the board of directors of Cultural Tourism DC and later served on the executive committee. His leadership helped the organization evolve from an initial focus on individual neighborhoods to a citywide presence. Steve Shulman remarked, "Cultural Tourism DC is the leading nonprofit dedicated to promoting the cultural assets of Washington, from the mall to the neighborhoods and back. As a past beneficiary of this leadership when I ran the American Red Cross Museum, I know how important Cultural Tourism DC's reach and support are. I look forward to building on this record of achievement." -more- A native of Worcester, Massachusetts, he graduated from American International College in Springfield, Massachusetts, with a degree in business management and participated in a leadership program for nonprofit executives at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. |