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Meet
Mark Mills: A Current Student
Profile 
Mark Mills is in the Arts Management
program and is also working
as Director of Membership at
The Phillips Collection.
How
far along are you into the arts
management program at AU and
why do you choose to study there?
I
am into my 2nd year in the
program and should be done
within 2005. Once I realized
that I adore working in museums
and want to make a full career
out of it, I began looking
at ways to broaden my skill
set outside of just a Development
Office. I also realized I
would be staying in Washington
for the next several years
and that now would make a
good time to attend graduate
school, so I began looking
at local options. Several
of my colleagues in various
cultural institutions across
town had completed the program
and found it to be very beneficial.
I thought the curriculum would
definitely broaden my skill
set and prepare me for upper
level administration. I also
attended AU for undergraduate
work so I was familiar with
the high caliber of staff
and resources.
What's your current title
and how long have you been working
at The Phillips Collection?
I
was hired as the Membership
Manager in June 2001 and was
promoted to Director of Membership
in summer 2004. Here I raise
nearly 20% of the museum’s
operating budget, oversee
a program of 10,000 households
with annual contributions
ranging from $45 to $10,000.
During my tenure, revenue
for the program has doubled.
What has been one of the most
relevant pieces of learning
you've come across in your studies
at AU thus far?
The
importance of an organization’s
mission has definitely been
hammered home. It was something
that I knew was important
but didn’t pay much
attention to. Now I am much
more focused on how my work
fits in with the museum’s
mission, and what I can be
doing to best carry it out.
How have you been able to
put your theoretical/classroom
learning into practice in your
organization?
Financial
Management was an extremely
practical class, which has
aided me tremendously. My
Director of Finance was so
excited I was taking the class.
Having a better understanding
of financial accounting for
nonprofits, how endowments
work, balance sheets, etc.
has been very practical. I
was delighted when I was in
a recent trustee meeting and
GAPP standards came up and
I knew they weren’t
talking about the store!
Where do you hope this degree
and your current work will take
you (career-wise, down the line)?
The
directorship of an art museum.
Plain and simple.
What are some of the challenging
topics facing the visual arts/museum
field today?
One
of the biggest challenges
is how museums or other cultural
venues can keep people visiting
when there is so much competition
for their time and money.
This also brings up grappling
with how to not make the museum
experience too commercial
without undermining the integrity
of the collection and mission.
Also, once you get into that
“blockbuster”
cycle, how do you get out
or cope when every year isn’t
a blockbuster?
Check
out the Phillips
Collection
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