Ramona Baker is an independent consultant, facilitator and keynote speaker with expertise in strategic planning, creativity and non-profit management. She has served as the chief administrator for non-profit organizations for over 25 years.
She has served on the boards of such organizations as Americans for the Arts, the United States Urban Arts Federation, the Council for International Visitors, the Nonprofit Advisory Board, the National Association of Local Arts Agencies, the Indianapolis Convention and Visitors Association, the State Film Commission, and the Indiana Sports Corporation.
She has had extensive experience in public policy and advocacy at all levels of government. She has testified in support of the arts before the U.S. House Appropriations Committee and the National Endowment for the Arts as well as various state, regional and local governmental agencies.
She has taught at several universities, managed theatre companies, produced arts festivals and chaired national conventions. She has led the development of cultural tourism initiatives, grants and funding programs, arts education programs, marketing research, and public art programs.
Ramona has been a keynote speaker and guest lecturer throughout the United States and in China, Russia, Australia, and Northern Ireland.
Most recently Ramona served for 10 years as the CEO of the Arts Council of Indianapolis. During that time she worked to successfully increase public city funding for the arts by over 350%. She also instituted one of the largest fellowship funding programs for artists in the United States (the Creative Renewal Fellowship Program). In addition, she increased the Arts Council’s cash reserves by over 3,000%
She was responsible for the planning, funding, construction and programming of a $13 million arts center in downtown Indianapolis (Indianapolis Artsgarden).
Ramona has an MFA in Arts Management from Florida State University and a BFA in Theatre from the University of Texas.