Bruce Thibodeau

Academic Division: ManagementDr. Bruce D. Thibodeau founded ACG in 1997 and, as its President, has been embedded in numerous projects in all practice areas to grow institutional sustainability, advance the arts and culture sector, and enhance communities served by this vibrant industry. He has guided hundreds of nonprofit, university, and government clients in achieving effective leadership transitions, planning cultural facilities, increasing revenues, developing dynamic institutional brands and messages, crafting strategic plans and business models, and revitalizing board governance practices. Dr. Thibodeau has also conducted extensive research in a threefold exploration of stakeholders, nonprofit arts management, and cultural facility project management to highlight how stakeholders influence, and are influenced by, the activities and practices of nonprofit arts and culture organizations. He focuses on how public and private dialogues between internal and external stakeholders prompt their iterative learning, deeper social and emotional bonds, and a sense of community built around shared project goals and mutually beneficial outcomes. Dr. Thibodeau has facilitated numerous community engagement processes that increase the public dialogue and stakeholder awareness of the arts and culture sector’s value and its impact on communities. His work as both a practitioner and academic highlights the important roles of project champions and followers as they overcome inertia and gain momentum derived from their social connections, personal commitments, and financial capacities to support the arts and culture sector. Prior to founding ACG, Dr. Thibodeau held various management roles at the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Hartford Symphony Orchestra, Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, and Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles. A regular guest speaker at various national and international arts, culture, and academic conferences, Dr. Thibodeau’s recent conference papers and presentations include the Academy of Management; Social Theory, Politics, and the Arts; and The Journal of Arts Management, Law, and Society. Published papers, and those being considered for publication, include “Bonds, Boundaries, and Unexpected Transformations: Exploring the Performativity of Stakeholder Interactions in Nonprofit Organizations,” “Nonprofit Organizations, Community, and Shared Urgency: Lessons from the Arts and Culture Sector,” and “Overcoming Project Inertia and Gaining Project Momentum: Strategic Adaptation in Cultural Facilities Planning.” A Maine native, Dr. Thibodeau holds a doctorate of business administration from the Grenoble Ecole de Management (France), a master of business administration from the F.W. Olin Graduate School of Business at Babson College, and a bachelor of music from The Hartt School at the University of Hartford. He also has multiple certifications in competencies, communications, and motivations analysis from Target Training International.

Academic Degrees

• DBA, Grenoble Ecole de Management
• MBA, Olin Graduate School of Business, Babson College

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