Mary Beth Natarajan
Adjunct Instructor
Mary Beth Natarajan is best known for her work as a growth catalyst and change agent who builds and mentors dynamic teams, leverages technology, and elevates brands. She joins the College of Charleston as an adjunct instructor after a 30+ years serving Fortune 500 companies, small high-tech start-ups, and nonprofit performing arts organizations.
During her 3.5-year tenure as Executive Director of Charleston Jazz, Mary Beth increased ticket revenue by 79%, raised over $1.4M in contributions, and launched a new academy. Most recently, she worked as Chief Marketing Officer of the Dayton Performing Arts Alliance (DPAA), the first arts organization in the United States to manage three art forms (ballet, opera, and philharmonic) under one management umbrella, offering 50 to 80 performances each season.
Mary Beth has successfully launched new products and services for such companies as Emerson and Blackbaud, where she had an opportunity to rebrand the company and expand “bbcon” to become the largest nonprofit tech conference in the world.
Mary Beth’s community work includes being a long-time board member and marketing/performance chair of TEDxCharleston, speaking at Pecha Kucha Charleston 28 in 2018, and sitting on the board of Chamber Music in Yellow Springs. In addition to currently working as a consultant and adjunct instructor, Mary Beth is an RYT 200 yoga teacher and a co-founder/director of a meditation school and fine art studio with her husband, Muni.
Education
M.A. in Communication and Marketing, University of Dayton
B.A. in Business Administration, Bowling Green State University
Courses Taught
ARCM 572: Data Management and Cloud-Based Technologies for Arts and Cultural Organizations
ARTM 321: Arts Marketing and Public Relations