About 90 Degrees Up
90 Degrees as Partner
Overview
- Sarah Smongeski, Principal Partner
- Former, 30-year Executive Director for small non-profit
- Professional Flutist and Flute Teacher
- Additional experience (early career) in state government and private sector
Education
- C.S.S. in Administration & Management, Harvard University Extension Division
- B.A. Music Performance/Education, Summa Cum Laude, Eastern Nazarene College
What I Bring to the Table
I bring over 30 years of hands-on experience as the Executive Director of a community school for the arts, along with 15 years of experience in retail, the public sector, and for-profit workforce settings. Each of these roles has given me valuable insights into serving at various levels, from the bottom rung to middle management and leadership positions.
During my time as ED, I successfully led the organization through financial challenges and transitions. My strong analytical skills, honed from training in the Harvard case-study method as well as training as a professional flutist, have contributed to my ability to make sound business decisions and achieve success.
With this combined training and experience, I’m used to seeking out solutions that work for the situation at hand. Usually, that means no cookie-cutter approach.
Global Support? or Specific Task?
In my role with 90 Degrees Up, if you are looking for global support, we can review your needs or those of your organization, apply my analytical abilities, develop goals, objectives and time-lines, and then decide on the best path forward for getting the work done.
If you simply have a specific task that needs completion, we can review the work involved, time frames, and decide if I’m the right fit for what you need.
Remuneration can be negotiated based on lump sum or hourly rate. I love solving problems, whether they are human-resource-based, technology-based, or knowledge-based.
Are You a 'Creative'?
Whether you are an individual arts person or part of an arts organization, you’ll likely benefit from linking with your state arts agency. Find your agency via the State Arts Agency Directory.
Working With You
Foundational Support for Small Non-Profits and Creatives
Despite having become an overused descriptor, “team player” is still the best term to describe my approach. I’ve never approached work thinking I have all the right answers. I’m interested in hearing your perspectives and ideas.
Asking questions and listening is my starting point. When I work with clients, I value your input but will also let you know when I believe something should be done differently. Ultimately, you are the final decision-maker.
Efficiency, Pursuit of Excellence
Small non-profits and creatives typically have limited resources. Because of that challenge, efficiency will often guide choices for solutions to problems. In my experience, we rarely find the silver bullet to change the ‘limited resources’ challenge.
Despite this resource challenge, my background in music performance and community arts education means I’m a natural advocate for integrating excellence into all aspects of our work.
I’ll let you know if any project conflicts with my ethics so that we can decide on the best next steps.
Are You a 'Creative'?
Whether you are an individual arts person or part of an arts organization, you’ll likely benefit from linking with your state arts agency. Find your agency via the State Arts Agency Directory.
Foundational Support
for Non-Profits, Start-Ups, and Creatives.