Rena Zurofsky has devoted her career to enhancing the ways in which art, business, and life connect through non-profit institutions—particularly museums. She is dedicated to the proposition that museums should strive to serve the broadest possible public, and that to do so successfully requires diligent and inspired management. Her experience has convinced her that a satisfied visitor not only returns, but is more likely to make store purchases, linger over lunch in the cafe, and become a museum member.

Ms. Zurofsky began her museum career while still an undergraduate at Clark University, when she became the assistant manager of the Worcester Art Museum's sales and rental gallery. Upon graduation, she joined the staff of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where she learned about business administration, product development, retailing, mail order, licensing, and publishing as assistant to the Vice President and Publisher during the heady period of the Tutankhamun exhibition. MMA store revenues quadrupled over a four-year period. This exhilarating and challenging experience led to her decision to pursue an MBA degree from Columbia University in order to learn more about managing change and growth.

Her business degree in hand, Ms. Zurofsky became a management consultant for KPMG Peat Marwick, where she worked in the commercial practice, advising such diverse clients as Weight Watchers and Wella, A.G. From there she became Manager of New Product Planning at Revlon, where she ultimately was made Product Manager for the $20 million skincare business. Her efforts to reposition and repackage Moon Drops, Revlon's standard brand, led to a sales increase of 50% within a year and a half.

Unfulfilled by the commercial world, Ms. Zurofsky returned to museums by joining The Brooklyn Museum as Vice Director for Marketing, where she focused particularly on retailing, licensing and publishing. She eliminated shop deficits, tripled sales volume, and re-established the store's reputation from the 1950's as unique, unusual and well-priced. It was frequently cited in newspaper and magazines, becoming a clear draw to museum visitors.

At The Brooklyn Museum, Ms. Zurofsky's primary modus operandi was--and remains to this day--to work closely with curators and educators to ensure consonance between museum store merchandise and the institution's collections and missions. At the same time, she initiated and built a licensing business that regularly resulted in a six-figure contribution to the museum's bottom line and brought prestigious publishing partners to most exhibition catalogues. She was also a member of the museum's internal strategic planning group.

As Deputy Director for External Affairs for the Newark Museum, in which capacity she oversaw development, special events, public relations, public programs, and business activities, Ms. Zurofsky successfully completed a multi-million dollar capital campaign for the Ballantine House restoration, and again participated in strategic planning for the future of the museum.

Tempted back to Manhattan by the opportunity to "fix" the shops for the American Museum of Natural History, over a three-year period Ms. Zurofsky renovated all eight stores on the premises, culminating in the final designs for the new 8,000 square foot main shop and the new Rose Center for Earth and Space shops. She instituted the first programs of product development, licensing, and publishing to be embraced by the museum's curatorial community. Sales increased by $1 million in each of three years; and were ultimately more than doubled by the opening of the three new shops.

Throughout these experiences, Ms. Zurofsky also consulted and taught. As a consultant she advised the Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences, the Parrish Museum in South Hampton, and the Veletrezcni Palac Museum of Modern Art in Prague on various commercial activities. She taught courses in both the management and marketing of the visual arts as an adjunct professor in NYU's Master's degree program in Visual Arts Administration, and has lectured at American Association of Museum and Museum Store Association annual meetings.

Just prior to establishing herself as a full-time consultant, Ms. Zurofsky became Vice President and COO of Edith Wharton Restoration. There she managed the first phase of the restoration of the author's famous gardens at her home in Lenox, MA.

Rena Zurofsky’s consulting practice encompasses strategic and organizational planning, marketing analysis, and revenue enhancement activities, as well as interim directorships. Her clients range from the National Trust for Historic Preservation and Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts to the Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston and Jacob’s Pillow Dance.

Ms. Zurofsky has served on the board of ArtTable, a national organization of executive women in the arts, and of the Stockbridge Library and Old Curtisville, both in Stockbridge, MA. She has written for The New York Times, Museum Magazine, the Berkshire Eagle and Fodors Travel Guides. She has also lectured on museum management and strategic planning in Russia, Lithuania and the Ukraine.