Gena Buhler

Finding great solutions for our clients starts with an understanding of their needs, experience in the field, and a lot of listening. Gena brings all these qualities together to lead our strategic planning team. With over 20 years’ experience in event production, venue management, operational logistics, festival and program development, and relationship-building for critical partnerships, she knows what it takes to develop a vision into a reality. Working closely with clients, community members, and project stakeholders to hear as many viewpoints as possible, she brings her expertise to a range of areas including vision alignment, artistic programming strategy, management structure, business planning, and feasibility studies. Her goal is to create feasible and realistic plans for organizations and venues that are vibrant, welcoming, fit for purpose, and sustainably operated.

Gena joined us from the City of Aspen, where she worked as the executive and artistic director for the Wheeler Opera House. She was responsible for producing and growing the Aspen Laugh Festival and the Aspen Mountain Film Festival, launching several community-based programming efforts, and managing Phase III and Phase IV of Wheeler’s historic renovation projects. She’s also worked as the theatre director at Vilar Performing Arts Center in Beaver Creek (Vail, Colorado), worked in New York as an agent for The Road Company and IMG Artists, and started her career in festival management as an associate with the Ann Arbor Summer Festival.

Equally as passionate about thought leadership and convening events that inspire dialogue, Gena co-founded and continues to act as director of operations for the Colorado Energy & Water Institute and spent five years as project director and producer for the Vail Global Energy Forum.