Bess de Farber serves as grantseeking and collaboration development consultant at ASK Associates, Inc. She has had four careers: as a musician and arts administrator; as a program officer managing grant awards for arts and cultural, social services, and human and race relations; as a nonprofit management consultant; and as an academic research development professional. She has provided collaborative grantseeking training to thousands of library staff, nonprofit and academic professionals, artists, and university students in the past 32 years, and has led efforts to secure millions for nonprofits and academic libraries. Her CoLAB Workshops have served more than 3,600 participants from a minimum of 14 to over 120 per workshop. Bess is the author of Collaborative Grant-Seeking: A practical guide for librarians, and Creating Fundable Grant Proposals: Profiles of innovative partnerships, and coauthor of Collaborating with Strangers: Facilitating workshops in libraries, classes, and nonprofits. She holds a Bachelor of Music from the University of Southern California, and a Master of Nonprofit Management from Florida Atlantic University.

Biography

Dr. Sophia Krzys Acord is an arts and humanities grantseeking, interdisciplinary team-building, and assessment consultant at ASK Associates, Inc. She has over 15 years of experience in higher education research, teaching, and administration. A cultural sociologist by training, Acord’s publications include work on scholarly communications, sociology of the arts, mobile technologies, and qualitative research methods. Her work and collaborative partnerships have been funded by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Institute of Museum and Library Sciences, American Council of Learned Societies, National Science Foundation, Department of Defense, Florida Humanities, and Southeastern Consortium. Acord serves on the National Advisory Board of Imagining America, a national consortium of colleges and universities committed to equitable civic engagement practices through the arts, humanities, and design. Acord’s past positions include Associate Dean of Research and Strategic Initiatives in the University of Florida (UF) College of the Arts, Associate Director of the UF Center for the Humanities and the Public Sphere, and specialist researcher at the University of California, Berkeley Center for Studies in Higher Education. She was a founding editor of the peer-reviewed open-access journal Music and Arts in Action. Acord holds a Ph.D. in Sociology and Master of Research Methodology from the University of Exeter and a Bachelor of Arts from Swarthmore College.

Biography

Caren’s professional expertise is extensive. In addition to her training in industrial and graphic design, she is a respected illustrator and fine artist, providing her clients a unique combination of talents that offer broad-range solutions.

CHI’s graphic design solutions incorporate the latest technologies and design trends. Caren’s approach is supportive and collaborative, establishing strong relationships and working side-by-side with her clients to attain their individualized expectations and goals.

Mission:

To create graphic design solutions that are supportive and collaborative, establishing strong relationships and working side-by-side with her clients to attain their individualized communication expectations and goals.

Passion:

My ability to marry of graphic design and fine art provides a unique opportunity for clients who are looking for a comprehensive approach to establishing a distinct visual identity and brand.