Dr. Fiona Coffey

Fiona Coffey is an arts leader, curator, creative producer and community builder with a strong track record of compassionate leadership, thriving artist relationships, strategic visioning, fundraising and a deep understanding of the national performing arts landscape. Previous to her work as Director of the Office for the Arts at Harvard, she was the Associate Director for Programming and Performing Arts at the Center for the Arts and Visiting Assistant Professor of Theater at Wesleyan University. At Wesleyan, Coffey curated and produced a visiting guest artist series, presented touring shows, and designed and produced development residencies to support new work by visiting artists. She has worked extensively as a creative producer for a wide range of interdisciplinary artists including Toshi Reagon, Sunny Jain, Forklift Danceworks and Laurie Anderson. Coffey also serves as the Director of Creative Programs for the Era Footwork Collective in Chicago, overseeing the vision and strategy of creative and educational programs in music, dance, fashion and film. As Managing Producer for inDANCE, a Toronto and Connecticut based-dance company, she supports marketing, development and touring of new creative work. She is co-President of New England Presenters, a regional membership organization for northeast arts presenters. She has served on the American advisory board for Ireland’s Abbey Theatre, helping with fundraising and strategic planning for U.S. touring. She previously worked at the William Morris and Harry Walker Agencies in New York City, representing artists, politicians and celebrities, and is a member of the Creative and Independent Producer Alliance. Coffey works with artists, students, faculty and staff across disciplines to help shape and develop new creative work and integrate the arts across campus in innovative ways. She works closely with artists to improve equity practices, including living wages, disability justice, decolonizing contracts and greater access for BIPOC artists. Coffey strongly believes in creative research and artistic practice as essential ways of learning and knowing about the world. Her first book Political Acts: Women in Northern Irish Theatre, 1921-2012 was published by Syracuse University Press (2016). She holds a doctoral degree from Tufts University, a master’s of philosophy from Trinity College, Dublin, and a bachelor’s from Stanford University.