Kerry McCarthy, Principal, established McCarthy Arts Consulting in 2000 to provide planning, research, advocacy, and communication services for arts and cultural organizations. Her insight and expertise are informed by nearly 20 years of experience in museum and theater administration.

Previously, she served as Director of Development for the Queens Museum of Art, Arts International, and for MacArthur Award-winning artist Meredith Monk’s company, The House Foundation for the Arts. She began her career at the Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta as Museum Director for what was then the nation's sole museum of international puppetry. She moved to New York to work for both the Jim Henson Foundation and Jim Henson Productions, where she was part of the production team for the inaugural International Festival of Puppet Theater at The Public Theater in 1992. She has curated exhibitions on folk and contemporary performing arts for The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts and the Center for Puppetry Arts and collaborated on exhibitions at the Walker Art Center and National Geographic Society.

In 2006, she established the Arts & Culture Consultants Network at Dance/NYC and provides a community of consultants with an opportunity to learn from their peers. She is a member of the Board of Trustees for Melodia Women's Choir of NY. McCarthy is registered as Fund Raising Counsel with New York State. She is an approved Technical Assistance Provider for the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone and The Harlem School of the Arts. She holds degrees from New York University (MA, Folk Art Studies) and the University of the South (BA, Art History) and participated in Coro's Leadership New York program.

McCarthy collaborates with a consortium of consultants. She builds the right team for each project, bringing in writers, researchers, event planners, and facilitators to get the job done on time and on budget.