I help
organizations
change
for the better
Do you have a roadmap for this moment of transformation?
Periods of change come with huge opportunities—and huge risks. Do you have a solid plan?
Will your processes adapt and scale to your future state?
Is your organizational structure going to enable you to deliver on your promises?
What will your institutional strategy look like after this big change?
Is everyone in your organization working together to make the most of this once-in-a-lifetime moment?
I bring clarity to complexity and can help you navigate the path to success.
Museum Strategy: A Practical Guide
Museums know they need a strong strategy, but what does that actually mean? This book moves beyond theory to show what strategy work really looks like inside cultural institutions: how it's built, where it breaks down, and how it can succeed.
Drawing on practical frameworks and candid case studies, Museum Strategy unpacks strategy development, exposes common pitfalls, and offers a clear approach to implementation that turns vision into action. Whether you are leading an institution, shaping its direction, or working alongside it, this book equips you to organize, execute, and sustain strategy that meaningfully advances a museum's mission.
About Hilary
I embrace growth and change in both my professional and personal life.
I’m a non-profit strategy expert and author of the book Museum Strategy: a Practical Guide, forthcoming from Bloomsbury in 2026. I’ve worked with museums of all sizes, including the Art Institute of Chicago as the Vice President for Planning and Strategy. In that role I led projects that spanned the museum, ranging from reopening the museum during COVID to overhauling the exhibition planning process to overseeing the development of a strategic plan. “Other duties as assigned” was my sweet spot.
Since then, I’ve helped organizations like the Hammer Museum, the Whitney Museum of American Art, Adler Planetarium, and the Obama Foundation prepare to meet current and future challenges. I thrive in ambiguous moments and care deeply about the success of non-profits.
In my personal life I’m a cultural omnivore who is always planning her next trip. Language learning has become a lifelong hobby for me: I’m currently adding Spanish to a repertoire that already includes French and German. I graduated with degrees from Wellesley College and the University of Chicago and regardless of what you might have heard about them, I managed to have a great time at both. And despite having been a Vice President at the second largest art museum in the country, the leadership I’m most proud of is keeping my book club running smoothly for 17 years and counting.
About You
You’re a results-oriented senior leader at a non-profit looking to maximize your limited resources to meet your goals and deliver on your mission.
You know that the status quo was meant to be challenged. You welcome change and opportunities to think differently.
Current and Past Clients
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![A night image of the Whitney Museum of American Art]()
The Whitney Museum of American Art
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![A view of the Obama Center overlooking the neighborhood and Lake Michigan in winter]()
The Obama Foundation
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![A street view of the entrance of the Hammer Museum]()
The Hammer Museum
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![The entrance of the Adler Planetarium]()
Adler Planetarium
Practical Guides
These practical guides include worksheets that allow you to think through challenges in your organization in ways personalized for you. Each purchase of a guide comes with an included 1 hour 1:1 consultation.
This guide provides a practical framework for museum leaders to assess their current earned revenue portfolio, identify opportunities for growth and efficiency, and build a strategy that is sustainable, mission-aligned, and grounded in data.
This guide helps museum leaders identify, understand, and address structural budget deficits by examining the underlying flaws in an institution’s financial model. It provides a practical framework for diagnosing root causes and implementing sustainable solutions that restore long-term financial stability rather than relying on temporary fixes.
This guide provides a practical framework for evaluating an existing membership program and implementing updates that increase revenue, improve retention, and better align the program with the museum’s strategic goals. It is written for both the leadership teams who will approve changes and the membership and development staff who will design and execute them.
Schedule a Call
Have a question or project in mind? I would love to hear from you! Reach out through email or schedule a time for a call.
