Jennifer Minicucci, currently a Northeastern graduate student in the Master of Science (MS) in Arts Administration and Cultural Entrepreneurship (AACE) program, is an arts administrator and nonprofit leader with experience in fostering organizational growth, building collaborative teams, fundraising, strategic planning, and more. Now consulting with non-profit organizations to help them build strategic and fundraising capacities, she built her experience in the arts working for a variety of organizations including an art museum, a community arts school, a music festival, and an orchestra.

Jennifer found her way to the arts administration field after a few years as a marketing and communications professional – and once there, knew she had found her calling. She is particularly interested in exploring the power of the arts to bring awareness and positive change around themes of social justice. Learn a little bit more about Jennifer below!

Where did you receive your undergraduate degree?

I earned a B.A. in English from the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.

Where are you studying at Northeastern from?

New Hampshire. I have three kids and live in NH with my family, where I enjoy running, hiking, playing the flute, and studying drawing and oil painting.

What are you hoping to get out of the program?

I am a bit more than halfway through the program now, and already it is helping to refine my skillset, by exposing me to the best practices for arts leadership from institutions around the world. It is also helping me to focus my career on where specifically, in the broad field of the arts, my particular skills and passions can make the most difference. It is opening opportunities through the incredible network of students, faculty, and experiential study partner organizations.

Why did you choose AACE?

Northeastern’s graduate degree program in Arts Administration and Cultural Entrepreneurship is the only one to offer a focus on the arts (as opposed to nonprofit management in general), that also includes entrepreneurship. Understanding how to launch organizations, and guide them through transitional phases, was as important to me as learning how to run them effectively. I appreciated the flexibility of being able to complete this program remotely, but with opportunities to take classes in person as well. As someone who is also working professionally, being able to take as many or as few classes at a time as I could manage was also a huge plus. And of course, Northeastern’s academic reputation is very high – particularly in its ability to prepare students for real world experiences.

Last, describe the program in one word.

Quality.