Paul H. O’Neill
School of Public and Environmental Affairs

Phone:

(812) 856-7404

Email:

kgahlmil@indiana.edu

Room Number:

A323

Areas of Interest:

Philanthropy

,

Strategic revenue development

,

Board governance

,

Leadership

,

Cultural policy

Curriculum Vitae

Karen Gahl-Mills is a visiting clinical associate professor at the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University. She also serves as the O’Neill School’s director of Arts Administration Programs and senior advisor to its Center for Cultural Affairs.

She came to teaching after a career as a public and nonprofit sector leader, including CEO roles at Cuyahoga Arts and Culture, a large grant-making organization in Cleveland, Ohio; the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra in upstate New York; and the Westchester Philharmonic in suburban New York City. She applies practical lessons from her distinguished career to her administrative work and to teaching courses in nonprofit governance, leadership, strategy, fundraising, and public policy.

Professor Gahl-Mills also serves as a coach for nonprofit and government boards and commissions, using her extensive experience as both a trustee and an executive director to help boards navigate change. Recent projects include work with the Indiana Arts Commission, Genesys Works Chicago, and the Old Town School of Folk Music.

She has received numerous awards and honors, including Crain’s “Who’s Who in Northeast Ohio,” Crain’s “Women of Note,” and the Business Council of Westchester’s “40 Under 40.” She received Indiana University’s Excellence in Teaching award in 2020 and in 2018.

She holds a Bachelor of Music degree from DePaul University and an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. She lives in Bloomington, Ind., and Chicago.