Mark Firestone Email & Phone Number

Fishers, Indiana, Us

Serve as a creative catalyst for growth, leading cross-functional initiatives, driving collaboration and improving organizational systems.+ Lead the Guest Experience Division's involvement in major projects according to the site master plan+ Lead efforts focused on the overall guest experience at Conner Prairie+ Provide creative vision and oversight of major seasonal festivals+ Collaborative creation and implementation of Experience Master Plan and Interpretive Plan+ Align divisional projects with strategic imperatives and organizational smart goals+ Evaluate divisional challenges to find creative solutions+ Collaborate with Development team to develop mission-related grant projects+ Manage projects related to development of new and refreshed experiences+ Forge positive and collaborative relationships with third party designers and contractors+ Foster effective communication, processes, and procedures across the museum+ Develop thought leadership in emerging museum and learning trends

Fishers, Indiana, Us

Bring to life the experiences outlined in the museum's experience master plan.+ Lead creative efforts for development of new, permanent museum experiences.+ Coordinate major experience projects to ensure consistency and coherence with overall museum direction and brand.+ Coordinate selection of external design contractors through RFP process as needed. + Manage communications and coordinate feedback between external creative design contractors and internal creative teams. + Assist in planning overall guest flow across grounds and in design of directional signage. + Attend industry/creative conferences to keep up with current experience design trends and inspire ideation for new museum experiences. Lead creative development of guest experiences for major seasonal and holiday festivals and other programming throughout the year by working cross-departmentally and building creative teams.+ Work across departments and divisions to form and lead creative teams for four major festivals. + Lead creative teams in the review of past events to determine areas where improvements can be made or new experiences can be added. + Lead internal teams to produce events from design, setup, and operations to tear down. + Coordinate with external contractors to help with event design and production as needed. + Negotiate contracts with hired entertainment and attractions for events as needed.

Fishers, Indiana, Us

Provided overall vision and leadership of combined Guest Relations and Membership Departments.+ Champion of museum-wide exceptional customer service initiatives+ Big picture, strategic planning for department initiatives and goals+ Set and reviewed department policies, procedures and training programs+ Overall department budget planning and tracking+ Monitored and reported on Membership revenue and retention, and overall museum attendance+ Administrator of Blackbaud Altru ticketing and membership database and point of sale system

Fishers, Indiana, Us

Lead museum membership efforts to build, maintain and retain membership base.+ Designed and executed short and long-term strategies to meet membership sales and revenue goals+ Created and managed Membership Department budget+ Lead strategic efforts to meet and exceed annual membership growth and retention goals+ Tracked membership sales, trends and projections on weekly and monthly basis+ Lead team of front-line Membership Assistants+ Trained Membership and Guest Services Assistants in proper Membership Department processes and procedures+ Developed strong cross-departmental relationships with partners impacted by Membership Department goals, events and operations

Indianapolis, In, Us

Provided overall daily leadership of museum Box Office operations.+ Directly supervised full and part time Box Office and Member Services Assistants+ Motivated team to achieve specific monthly membership and donor sales goals+ Implemented new staff training process+ Improved signage and queuing for improved guest flow and experience at the box office+ Interviewed, hired of front-line staff positions+ Cashed out and balanced cashier tills+ Ensured exceptional service delivery to over one million guests annually+ Implemented courteous, guest-friendly services and processes+ Provided effective resolution of challenging guest situations

Indianapolis, In, Us

Provided day-to-day oversight of front-line team managing Kenya child sponsorshipprogram comprised of 16,000+ children across 23 urban and rural schools.+ Developed and implemented efficient, scalable processes+ Facilitated ~1,000 annual visits between visitors and sponsored children+ Sorted, screened, logged and delivered 4,000+ letters and gifts annually+ Prepared, tracked and reviewed 50,000+ letters from children annually+ Updated photos and bio information of 16,000+ children biennially+ Researched and provided and timely, accurate responses to information requests from sponsors+ Improved consistency and quality of communications to sponsors+ Generated reports, monitored for trends in giving and sponsor retention+ Facilitated beginner and intermediate Excel/Google Sheets trainings+ Facilitated trainings, created training video for new processes+ Created Child Sponsorship Field Team SOP Manual+ Established effective cross-cultural relationships with Kenyan nationals+ System administrator for sponsorship database and donor management software+ Raised over $200,000 in gifts and ongoing commitments over 3 years

Indianapolis, In, Us

Provided leadership and vision for $9 million international child sponsorship program across 4 countries.+ Casted vision and set expectations for child sponsorship program+ Built, refined, focused and lead home office sponsorship team+ Managed growth of program from 7,000 to 12,000+ children+ Implemented scalable, efficient processes in preparation for growth+ Confidentially handled and processed single and recurring donor payments+ Provided timely responses to sponsor inquiries, concerns and complaints+ Improved experience, satisfaction and retention of 7,000+ donors+ Implemented and administered new donor management software+ Introduced CMF Child Sponsorship to new churches and organizations+ Facilitated sponsorship drives with over 75 existing partner churches+ Generated reports, monitored for trends in giving and donor retention+ Designed and implemented segmentations for focused donor communications+ Served as System Administrator for donor management/CRM system+ Created Child Sponsorship Home Office Team SOP Manual+ Visited international sites regularly to check on challenges faced by field teams+ Collaborated effectively with critical cross-cultural partners

Indianapolis, In, Us

Provided overall leadership for daily operations of Visitor Services Department.+ Member of Leadership Team for department consisting of over 30 full-time and 50 part-time team members in the areas of customer service and security+ Created culture of recognition, respect and teamwork throughout department+ Directly supervised Concierge, Group Arrival, Show Ticketing, Rentals, and Entry Gates+ Indirectly supervised Box Office, and Call Center+ Interviewed, hired 30+ front-line staff and specialized, supervisory positions+ Created, implemented and facilitated queuing and crowd control plans+ Assisted in design of space planning and determined crowd flow plans for new Welcome Center and Group Arrival areas+ Tracked attendance and monitored trends against projections daily+ Cashed out and balanced cashier tills+ Prepared and managed department budget and strategic planning efforts+ Prepared appropriate responses to numerous emergency scenarios+ Ensured exceptional service delivery to over one million guests annually+ Implemented courteous, guest-friendly services and processes+ Effectively resolved challenging guest situations+ Created and implemented new department procedures manuals+ Facilitated department training and orientation for new staff+ Developed and implemented Customer Experience Mapping project over the course of 3 years

Lake Buena Vista, Florida, Us

Provided magical guest experiences through safe and efficient operations of complex ride systems.+ Safely operated of complicated ride systems for over 900 people per hour+ Monitored large crowds for safety and flow during parade operations+ Consistently upheld Disney’s world-class brand of customer service+ Recognized by operations leaders for performance and management abilities

Indianapolis, In, Us

Provided daily operational oversight of Attractions Department experiences and team members.+ Supervised daily zoo attraction operations: train, roller coaster, carousel, 3-D ride, splash park and playground+ Provided oversight of revenue centers: ride ticket sales and souvenir photo stand+ Ensured daily ride operations complied with and exceeded state safety regulations+ Created daily schedules, balanced operational needs with labor budgets+ Responded to and managed ride breakdowns or emergency situations+ Provided great service to over one million guests annually+ Effectively resolved challenging guest situations+ Created progressive training and ride certification program+ Created and revised all ride operations manuals and department guidelines+ Trained and oriented new team members+ Researched and developed new attraction concepts, producing new revenue streams+ Wrote, directed, and produced annual haunted and holiday train rides

Indianapolis, In, Us

Provided daily oversight of Membership and Guest Relations functions.+ Directly supervised Member Services functions at the main entrance: new/renewal and upgrade processing, guest ticket sales, entry validation+ Indirectly supervised daily ticket sales and admission, rentals, parking+ Monitored guest feedback, watching for trends in satisfaction levels+ Setup and monitored box office and main entrance queues+ Increased safety and efficiency with new bus drop-off and group entry procedure+ Cashed out and balanced cashier tills+ Implemented immediate service recovery protocols for guest situations+ Effectively and appropriately resolved challenging guest situations+ Trained and oriented new hires within department+ Created conceptual design of themed membership sales and marketing kiosk

Indianapolis, In, Us

Provided daily, closing shift supervision of Guest Services operations.+ Assisted in supervision of all front-line staff in box office, entrance gates, rental counter, and parking booths+ Cashed out and balanced cashier tills+ Acted as closing shift supervisor, closing out cash drawers, counting safe funds, completing closing reports, and ensuring security of all entry gates at end of day+ Coordinated daily box office queue line setup and management+ Assisted in resolution of challenging guest situations, escalating to appropriate leaders as necessary

Certificate, Themed Entertainment Design

Certificate, Event Management

Bachelor Of Science, Tourism, Conventions And Event Management

Coursework In Architectural Technology

Coursework In Engineering