Carlton Ford

cford@mcaculture.com

Carlton Ford advises boards and chief executives of arts and culture organizations on strategy, governance, and fund development. He has advised more than 90 organizations, among them the Guthrie Theater, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Curtis Institute of Music, Washington National Opera, Miami City Ballet, United States Institute of Theatre Technology (USITT), and The Heinz Endowments.

He came to MCA from Diaz Inclusion Consulting, the national strategy and culture firm he led as Managing Director with its founder, Rebekah Diaz. The two firms began a partnership in 2022, during which Carlton engaged in more than 20 MCA executive searches, among them the President of OPERA America, the artistic directors of Seattle Rep, Trinity Rep, Court Theatre, and La Jolla Playhouse, and the executive leaders of Kansas City Rep, Goodspeed Musicals, the Alley Theatre, Opera Colorado, and Portland Symphony Orchestra. He and Rebekah acquired MCA in January 2026.

His strategy and governance counsel has returned major institutions to operating surplus, moved national boards from operating roles to governing ones, and reset organizational culture at theaters, orchestras, opera companies, and conservatories. He coaches sitting chief executives, and his counsel to artists spans R&B, jazz, pop, contemporary, and classical music.

Carlton has raised more than $80 million, leading national fundraising teams at Interlochen Center for the Arts, the Adrienne Arsht Center, Florida Grand Opera, and Taproot Foundation. His campaign work includes campaigns above $100 million and the design of an organization's first comprehensive campaign. He has also coached fundraising leaders in securing more than $25 million in gifts.

Select board and committee service includes Chamber Music America, where he is Chair-Elect, and the corporation board of the Aspen Music Festival and School. He chaired the board of Miami's Nu Deco Ensemble from 2022 through 2026, a period in which the orchestra doubled its budget, posted its first operating surplus, and retired its debt.

Carlton writes and speaks on leadership, philanthropy, and race in the arts. His commentary has appeared in the Miami Herald and on the DonorSearch Philanthropy Masterminds podcast, and he has presented at the national conferences of Tessitura, the League of Resident Theatres, and Chamber Music America.

He holds the Advanced Executive Search Certification from Cornell University and the Association of Executive Search and Leadership Consultants (AESC), and degrees from The Juilliard School and Rice University. Before moving into organizational psychology, advancement, and governance, he had an international career as an opera singer, performing at Carnegie Hall and the Deutsche Oper Berlin, appearing in Oscar- and Emmy-nominated productions, and working with the Metropolitan Opera. He is based in Phoenix with his bernedoodle Leila.