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James Ryan Jillson is a musician turned arts administrator with a passion for helping cultural institutions take data-driven approaches to developing strategy, navigating change, building audiences and strengthening revenue.

Jillson currently serves as the Vice President of Marketing & Guest Services at the Dallas Symphony Orchestra (DSO), the largest performing arts organization in the southwest. There, he oversees efforts to expand audiences, grow earned revenue streams, provide exceptional patron experiences and steward the DSO’s brand. He previously led the DSO’s new Analytics team, created to leverage data strategy, patron journey mapping, audience and donor insights, and revenue operations in support of the organization’s growth objectives.

Jillson teaches as part of the M.A./M.B.A. Arts Management graduate program at ÃÛÌÒ½´Meadows School of the Arts. He also teaches as part of TACA’s Arts Accelerator program for emerging cultural organizations. In recent years, Jillson has led numerous workshops and presented research on arts marketing and fundraising at industry conferences and for arts service organizations nationally and internationally.

Previously, Jillson served as the Director of Development at the Nasher Sculpture Center, a nonprofit modern and contemporary art museum, where he led the team in achieving record growth in revenue, programming and engagement. He has also previously served as a grants panelist for the City of Dallas Office of Arts and Culture and for the Texas Commission on the Arts.