Jennifer Ritvo Hughes

Lecturer

Jennifer Ritvo Hughes (AR 530 – Managing Performing Arts Organizations) is an arts executive, consultant and educator known for guiding premier cultural institutions through transformative changes. Recognized by Forbes as a “leading cultural innovator,” Jennifer is committed to engineering major strategic turnarounds, driving sustainable revenue, scaling global visibility and building organizational capacity.

Jennifer currently serves as a Strategic Consultant, advising nonprofits and companies including the New England Foundation for the Arts (Boston), Opera Philadelphia (Philadelphia), Royal Conservatory of Music (Toronto/with Advisory Board for the Arts), EAC Productions and the Philharmonia Orchestra (Boston/Barcelona/London), Third Street (Las Vegas), Ensemble Decoda (New York), NYS Baroque/Pegasus Early Music (NY State), and OnStageAI (national) on strategic planning, financial resiliency and organizational development.

Her previous leadership roles include:

  • CEO, American Friends of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra: Jennifer directed North American strategy and fundraising, notably launching the “Global Hatikvah” virtual choir, which garnered over 1 million impressions worldwide in its first 5 weeks online.
  • Executive Director, Boston Baroque: During her tenure, she eliminated decade-long deficits and secured the organization’s first $1M donation. She revolutionized their digital footprint and revenue strategy, expanding their audience to 22 countries through pioneering partnerships with Amazon Prime Video, IDAGIO and WGBH.
  • Executive Director, Cantata Singers: She grew the operating budget by 50%, secured a prestigious grant from Bloomberg Philanthropies, and commissioned 3 new works for choirs and orchestra in 6 years.

A dedicated educator, Jennifer is a Lecturer at Boston University, where she teaches a graduate course on organizational effectiveness and leadership in the arts. She holds a Masters in Musicology from Brandeis University and a BA in Music from Wellesley College.

Jennifer serves as treasurer on the board of directors of the Boston Lyric Opera and the Surf Point Foundation.