CONTACT:  Eileen Rappoport

Cultural Alliance of Greater Washington

202.638.2406 x24

erappoport@cultural-alliance.org

MARY JO AND DOUGLAS SHACKELFORD HONORED FOR PROVIDING SERVICE

TO WASHINGTON REGION’S CULTURAL COMMUNITY

WASHINGTON, DC – Mary Jo and Douglas Shackelford, president and vice president of the marketing consulting firm ExSelleration LLC, were honored with a recognition award for their volunteer work with the National Conservatory of Dramatic Arts.  The award was given at the Cultural Alliance of Greater Washington’s (CAGW) annual Business Volunteers for the Arts Recognition Luncheon on Thursday, December 7 at the Kennedy Center’s Roof Terrace Restaurant.

Through the CAGW Business Volunteers for the Arts program, the Shackelfords assisted the National Conservatory of Dramatic Arts (NCDA), the only accredited, professional actor's training studio in the Washington Metro region, with a complete overhaul of its marketing tactics.  As a small organization consisting of artists rather than marketing experts, NCDA relied on Mary Jo and Douglas’ expertise to make the most of its marketing budget and attain its goals of increasing the number of applicants to the school, as well as broadening its visibility within the market area. The Shackelfords contributed over 200 hours to the project over the course of 2006, and the result has been a 45% increase in NCDA student enrollment for 2007.

The Shackelfords’ dedication was instrumental to the project’s success.  "Doug and Mary Jo put a lot of time and care into their Business Volunteer for the Arts project," said NCDA vice president Nan Kyle Ficca.  "They are business people who know and love the arts and also appreciate the hard work that goes into making art happen, and it is always clear that this is a labor of love for them.  They have become lifelong friends of the school."

"It's gratifying when the creative folks we work with are able to see the value of the principles we apply every day in the business world, and are able to incorporate those concepts into their efforts," said Douglas Shackelford.  "It's even more uplifting when the work produces dramatic results, helping the organization to grow and prosper."

Business Volunteers for the Arts ®/Washington (BVA) strengthens the management of nonprofit arts and cultural organizations by placing business professionals to work as volunteer management consultants with arts managers and their boards on projects in financial and strategic planning, marketing, information technology, and more.  This year, 71 Business Volunteers for the Arts worked on 35 projects serving 22 regional arts organizations.  Overall, the volunteers logged in 1,984 hours, the equivalent of $317,000 worth of work. 

The Cultural Alliance of Greater Washington is an organization dedicated to sustaining and increasing regional leadership, appreciation, support and resources for arts and culture. We build and nurture a regional network by enhancing the connection, collaboration, and conversation within the arts and cultural community and among business and other interest groups.  The Cultural Alliance pursues four institutional strategies in order to progress its missions: Research, Convene, Advocate, and Serve.