
Neville Vakharia
Neville Vakharia is an Associate Dean of Research & Planning and Associate Professor of Arts Administration & Museum Leadership program, teaching courses in management, strategic planning, and entrepreneurship while undertaking research and development projects that seek to strengthen the arts, cultural, and creative sector. His research centers on the role that knowledge management, technology, and innovation play in building sustainable, resilient, and relevant organizations and communities. His work has been published internationally and he has developed new tools and resources to benefit the cultural and social sectors. Prior to Drexel, Neville was the director of the Cultural Data Project at The Pew Charitable Trusts (now SMU DataArts), where he oversaw the program’s strategic direction, operations, and growth from a start-up enterprise to national organization. Prior to Pew, Neville was Director of Technology Services and Programs for the Arts & Business Council for Greater Philadelphia, where he developed and launched programs to support the technological capacity of the region’s cultural sector. He served as Director of Marketing for the Prince Music Theater, overseeing all audience development and branding strategies, and for 12 years he was the founder and co-producer of the ArtsFest Film Festival. Neville also has more than 10 years of experience in the corporate sector, working in new product development, marketing, and global product management for W.L. Gore & Associates, Inc., manufacturer of GORE-TEX products. Neville holds two international patents and has developed several new products and technologies. He earned both his bachelor of science degree in materials engineering and his master of science in arts administration from Drexel University where he is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Information Science. He is the co-editor of Artivate: A Journal of Entrepreneurship in the Arts and serves on the board of several creative, start-up, and social enterprises.