Shruti Adhar | Consultant
An accomplished executive with demonstrated success in the non-profit sector, Shruti Adhar has a proven track record in grantmaking, fundraising, management, and program development. Prior to joining MCA in June 2019, Shruti served as the Executive Director of The Knights, a Grammy-nominated chamber orchestra. In this role, she led strategic direction, oversaw operations, and managed artistic, human, and financial resources, growing the annual budget from $1.2 million to $2 million in just three years. She expanded the organization’s full-time staff from 1 to 4, increased artist compensation, grew contributed income by 40%, and established the orchestra’s first Home Season in New York City.
Prior to joining The Knights, Shruti served as Director of Development & Engagement at Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, where she increased individual fundraising and the orchestra’s school programs. As a grant maker, she has worked as a Program Officer with both the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and the New York State Music Fund, providing technical assistance to organizations from a range of disciplines and budget sizes, led panel evaluations, and monitored grant programs. Shruti was also the first full-time employee for Buglisi/Foreman Dance, serving as the company’s Managing Director from 2001-2004.
In 2019, Shruti joined MCA as a consultant, and has since worked on a number of successful searches, including Executive Director searches for Colorado Ballet, Kansas City Ballet, MacDowell, Merola Opera Program, and the Center for Fiction, as well as Artistic Director searches for New Orlean’s Le Petit Theatre, Cleveland Play House, Washington Ballet, Ballet Arizona, and the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit.
Shruti earned a Master’s degree in Arts Administration at Columbia University and a Bachelor’s degree in History at Yale University, and holds a Diversity & Inclusion Certification with Cornell University.