Who I Am

There's nothing I love more than a challenging puzzle. Give me a tangle of competing priorities or disconnected systems and I'll figure out what's really going on, then turn it into a plan people can actually follow.

I'm a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) with 15+ years of experience leading complex business and technology projects exclusively in the arts and culture sector. I've spent my career inside the ecosystem of technology providers and consultants that serve cultural organizations, leading CRM, ticketing, and business transformation projects for some of North America's largest and most respected institutions. That vantage point showed me what works, where projects go off course, and why. It's the foundation of the work I do today.

I started Colleen O'Hara Consulting so that every organization has a partner who can help their most important work actually succeed.

How I Work

I start with why.
"Why?" has been my favorite question for a long time. When you understand why, every other question gets easier. Whether we're building a roadmap, getting a project back on track, or developing your team's skills, every engagement begins with a conversation about your needs and challenges, so we share clear objectives from day one.

Strategy first, then structure.
I look at every piece of work through a strategic lens: how it connects to your mission, your other priorities, and your team's capacity. Then I bring the discipline of a certified project management professional, choosing the right level of structure for your team and holding it steady when things get messy, so the right work gets done in the right way.

People carry the work.
Plans, systems, and processes only succeed when the people behind them are aligned and equipped. My approach is relationship-driven: I build trust across departments and levels, bring together people with different expertise and goals around a shared purpose, and make sure hard conversations happen early. Your team comes away stronger and more capable than when we started.

What an engagement looks like

Discover: understand your goals, context, and constraints
Plan: agree on the approach, priorities, and what success looks like
Deliver: do the work together, adjusting as we learn
Sustain: leave your team with the tools, processes, and confidence to keep going

Engagements range from short advisory projects and coaching to multi-year programs. Many run in two phases, building the right strategy and then delivering it. I can work in phases tied to your milestones, or on a retainer for the length of your project, whichever best fits your needs and budget.

What size organizations do you work with?

I work with organizations of all sizes, scaling my projects to support the leanest of teams to the most complex of large institutions.

What types of organizations do you work with?

While I work exclusively within the arts and culture sector, my experience spans from museums and science centers to all forms of performing arts organizations. My experience is focused specifically on the operational and strategic challenges unique to this sector. As a singer myself, this sector has always been near and dear to my heart.

What if I need technical support too?

I focus on strategy, alignment, and execution, partnering with Faire Collaborative, a trusted network of technical specialists to round out project teams depending on the specific requirements of your project. This allows us to move seamlessly between project phases without having to manage multiple vendor relationships yourself. Learn more about our partnership.

Are you affiliated with any technology vendors?

No — while I do have deep expertise in Tessitura, my approach is intentionally vendor-agnostic. I start with your organization's business needs and goals, then help identify the right solution — whether that's Tessitura, another platform, or no new system at all. I'm not incentivized to steer you toward any particular option.