Experience
President Susan Mathisen's expertise bridges the fields of conservation and fundraising; she has worked as a conservator in both the United States and Europe and as a fundraiser for museums, universities and other historical agencies. This unique combination of skills makes her the "go-to" consultant when organizations need assistance finding the resources to realize their historic preservation, art conservation, and collections care goals. Her success rate speaks for itself; her efforts have resulted in grants ranging from $5,000-$1.5 million.
Susan gained her knowledge of art conservation and museum practice through positions held at the Morgan Library, Smithsonian Institution, National Gallery of Art, the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, and Hardy Holzman Pfeiffer Associates (now H3 Hardy Collaboration Architecture) and as administrative conservator/development officer and adjunct professor of conservation at the Conservation Center, IFA, New York University. She has held development positions at the National Academy Museum, the American Academy in Rome, the Friends of the American Museum in Britain/Halcyon Foundation, and Meet The Composer. She has a Master of Arts in Museum Studies and Textile Conservation from the Fashion Institute of Technology and a Certificate in Fund Raising from New York University.
An advocate for conservation and involved member of the community, Susan has served on a variety of boards and committees, including those of the American Institute for Conservation, the North American Textile Conservation Conference, ICOM-CC Education and Training Committee, and American Virtuosi, a baroque opera ensemble. She is currently the Chair of the AIC Textile Specialty Group and on the Historic District Council's Board of Advisers.
Susan is fully licensed as fundraising counsel in New York State.