Mr. Conner’s institutional experience included the role of Associate Dean for Advancement with the London Business School. In this capacity, he was a member of the School’s Management Committee and responsible for both the Development and Alumni Offices. During his tenure, the London Business School achieved a significant increase in total fundraising from corporate, foundation and individual sources.  

From 1991 to 1997, Mr. Conner served as Director of Development for the San Francisco Opera. He raised $150 million for annual operations, endowment, and capital improvements to the San Francisco Opera House. He also acted as the campaign manager for the Committee to Restore the Opera House that coordinated with other organisations for seismic upgrading and related private fundraising campaign ($31.3 million) for San Francisco’s War Memorial Opera House. 

From 1985 to 1991, Mr. Conner worked for the Greater Miami Opera in a number of management positions including: Assistant General Manager, Director of Development and Marketing, and Director of Development. He was responsible for operating revenue of over $6 million annually. He also managed a $10 million endowment campaign that was part of a $20 million combined community campaign. Prior to his work at the Opera, Mr. Conner served as Executive Director of the Castle Hill Foundation and as Director of Development and Public Relations at Boston University School for the Arts.
 
An active professional in the field, Mr. Conner is a frequent lecturer on topics related to philanthropy and not-for-profit management. He has presented to the Council for the Advancement of Secondary Education, International Arts Managers Conference, Opera America, EAPG, Kulturwirtschaftstag (Dortmund), CASE and many others. He has published twenty-five articles and contributed to four books. 

Mr. Conner did Master’s work at King’s College, University of London, and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from GrinnellCollege. Mr. Conner has attended a number of executive programs at the LondonBusinessSchool.

Mr. Conner’s Brakeley clients include:

• Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford
• Aston University, Birmingham
• FW de Klerk Foundation
• Global Leadership Foundation
• HankenHelsinki School of Business
• IESE Business School, University of Navarra, Barcelona
• Medizinische Universität Wien (Vienna Medical University)
• Museum of London
• National Museums of Liverpool
• National Museum of Science & Industry
• Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust
• Royal College of Music, London
• San Francisco Opera
• South Bank Centre, London
• Stockholm University School  of Business
• Templeton College, University of Oxford
• University of Hull
• Wadham College, University of Oxford
• World Heart Federation