Moriah Tumbleson-Shaw (’16)

Moriah Tumbleson-Shaw is an administrator passionate about empowering organizations through program management, evaluation, research, event planning, grant writing, and continual improvement. She earned her master’s degree in Arts Administration from Boston University in 2016 and currently works as the Business Operations Coordinator at the Baker Library at Harvard Business School.

What was the transition like from being Operations Manager at the Concord Museum to being the Operations Coordinator at Baker Library?

The scope of my responsibilities was wider at the Concord Museum, but the depth of my knowledge at Baker Library needs to be greater. At the CM I liked to say that my job entailed anything that furthered the work of the Museum, from overseeing contracts or assisting with a fundraising event, to taking out the trash. In a small organization everyone needs to be able to wear many hats, and if a staff person doesn’t do something themselves it may not get done.

In contrast, a larger org like Baker Library, which is part of Harvard Business School, may have entire teams of people who take care of fundraising or janitorial services. What is needed from an Ops standpoint is a liaison: someone who understands the work that needs to get done and what it entails, who has built relationships with those responsible for each arm, and who can coordinate a through line. I don’t think I would be as good at my job now, if I hadn’t first built up direct experience of doing some of these things myself, appreciating the time and skills involved, and learning to communicate at all levels.

Would you still consider the work you do now to be Arts Administration? // How do you see Arts Administration in relation to the non-profit sector as a whole?

I was accepted into BU’s Arts Administration program in part because the unique Masters was built to recognize my theater design, studio ceramics, and art education background as a value-add, not a liability. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard, “Given your art background I thought you would be a flake…” Yet I’ve been doing general administration project planning, and coordinating everywhere I’ve ever worked. The skills of customer service, internal and external communication, contracts, vendor management, facilities management, donor partnerships, and financial accountability are desperately needed at corporate and nonprofit organizations everywhere. So, as I think about the sector as a whole, I try to find the connecting threads, rather than focusing on how fields are different.

While you were at BU you got to work as a Research Assistant to do an analysis of Massachusetts Cultural Council’s “North Adams” grantee project evaluations and review. What do you think is the benefit of grad students performing academic research during their study if they don’t plan on being a “researcher”?

Participating in academic research helped me see bigger ideas that are steering the nonprofit community at large. Some questions the North Adams project asked were around how much community support is needed for an art and cultural center to thrive, and how do we measure the value it’s adding to its community? Both a small history museum and an institute of higher education may ask those same questions.

My time as a research assistant also exposed me to the concepts and tools of data collection and analysis, which are now widely woven into every aspect of organizational accountability and planning. I applied those data collection and coding skills at the MFA where we analyzed qualitative and quantitative feedback and distilled it into gallery and program recommendations. Those same tools are helping us determine whether our Baker Library recruiting and hiring practices are improving our ability to meet our racial equity goals.

What was your favorite class during your degree here at BU?

My favorite class was the law course [AR 778, Legal Issues in Arts Administration]. I often laughed out loud at the snarky language embedded in the case studies, and was fascinated by the extreme situations brought to court rooms. It was illuminating to read about the edges of the law which then go on to shape our everyday applications. I’ve also been grateful on numerous occasions for learning the basics of contract law.

I also need to share my gratitude for our required finance course [AR 750, Financial Management for Nonprofits]. I still wish I’d taken a basic accounting class, but I’ve learned my way around P&L’s and budgets through stubborn practice. Even in a place where many staff have PhD’s or multiple masters, a surprising percentage of staff feel overwhelmed by their budget work. Our finance person is amazing, but not every org will have an in-house asset; it’s necessary to be able to unpack and understand your own budget, especially if managing a team or org.

What do you think will be your next career move and what advice do you have for students who are career planning?

For my next career move I’m focusing on project management and people management. One of my electives at BU was an intro to project management course, and I loved it. Similar to the data analysis skills I learned as a research assistant, project management approaches are now widely practiced at all levels of organizational programming. I’m starting courses toward a PM certificate in January to better understand where I can apply those strategies in my current role.

I’m also focused on people management. Over the years I’ve managed up, managed laterally, managed volunteers and interns, and managed contractors. My focus now is finding opportunities to build and directly manage a contingent worker team starting with hiring talent, establishing inclusive onboarding, and providing comprehensive training. This overlaps with my current HR work at Baker Library, but recommending an approach to managers is vastly different from applying it in real time as a manager myself. Luckily, I work at a business school which provides management courses and articles, and the culture really does try to practice what we publish. I’m learning a lot!

In what ways are you still involved in the arts?

There is a quote that I love that goes something like, “You can do all the things, just not all at the same time.” I’m currently trying to get back into teaching ceramics! I was actually lined up to teach a class at The Umbrella Center in March of 2020, but that didn’t pan out. For now, I continue to engage in the arts as more of an observer, appreciator, crafter and connoisseur.  I regularly to events and am a member at the MFA. I’m always interested to know about what’s going on in that ethos so I often read the reviews of galleries, even in cities like New York that I don’t get to very often!

Learn more about Baker Library by going to their website: https://www.library.hbs.edu/.

Interview conducted by Sapphire Skye Toth