Derek Sober
West Palm Beach,USA
Summary
Program and operations leader with over 15 years of experience, including more than four years in formal program management and operations roles, supported by a strong foundation in project-based leadership. Proven ability to plan and execute multi-stakeholder initiatives, manage contracts and budgets, resolve operational issues, and deliver measurable outcomes across complex organizations.
Overview
5
5
years of professional experience
Work History
Director of Family and Community Initiatives
Norton Museum of Art
West Palm Beach, FL
2024.01 - Current
- Manage concurrent programs involving internal teams, external partners, vendors, and off-site locations.
- Lead multiple programs and operational initiatives, overseeing planning, execution, timelines, budgets, contracts, vendors, and outcomes.
- Supervise four direct reports and one manager, managing workload prioritization, scheduling, performance management, and issue resolution.
- Conduct annual performance reviews and goal-setting processes aligned with organizational strategy and departmental priorities.
- Draft, review, and maintain contracts and MOUs with partners and service providers, ensuring clear scope, deliverables, timelines, and compliance.
- Serve as primary liaison across departments and external stakeholders to maintain alignment and accountability.
- Program-managed two of the museum’s four annual high-traffic public events, coordinating logistics, staffing, vendors, partners, and day-of operations.
- Increased combined attendance by 46 percent over two years, from 1,451 in 2023 to 2,113 in 2025.
- Delivered 22 percent year-over-year growth followed by an additional 18 percent increase while maintaining service quality and operational standards.
- Redesigned workflows and scheduling for Summer Studio Tours, increasing throughput from 732 in 2024 to 1,019 in 2025, a 39 percent increase without adding permanent staff.
- Led issue resolution between internal teams and external partners by establishing clear communication protocols and escalation paths, restoring operational stability and program continuity.
Program and Operations Manager, Education Department
Armory Art Center
West Palm Beach, FL
2021.01 - 2023.01
- Owned day-to-day operations for a multi-program department with staffing, revenue, and delivery accountability.
- Managed department operations including staffing models, scheduling, enrollment forecasting, budgeting, contracts, and vendor coordination.
- Oversaw instructors and contractors, aligning program delivery with operational capacity and financial targets.
- Partnered with senior leadership on forecasting, pricing strategy, enrollment planning, and operational decision-making.
- Led end-to-end planning and execution of a multi-week revenue-generating program, managing budget, staffing, enrollment strategy, and daily operations, delivering over $105,000 in net revenue.
Instructional Project Lead and Art Educator
- Led structured, deadline-driven projects with defined scopes, milestones, and deliverables.
- Guided individuals and groups through full project lifecycles from concept development through execution and final delivery.
- Translated high-level goals into phased plans, timelines, and milestones to support sequencing and on-time delivery.
- Balanced scope, timelines, and resource constraints while maintaining quality standards.
- Conducted structured progress reviews and post-project evaluations to reinforce accountability, communication, and continuous improvement.
Education
Master of Fine Arts -
University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
Bachelor of Fine Arts -
Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - Art Education
Carlow University
Skills
- Program management
- Project planning and execution
- Operations management
- Process improvement
- Contract and MOU development
- Vendor and partner management
- Cross-functional leadership
- Budget oversight
- Resource and capacity planning
- Risk mitigation
- Change management
- Mondaycom
- Microsoft 365
- Paycom
- Altru
- ArtSystems
- Zoom
- Google Workspace
- Canva
- Adobe Photoshop
- Adobe Illustrator
Relocating To
Pittsburgh, PA
Technology And Systems
- Monday.com
- Microsoft 365 (Outlook, Teams, Excel, Word, PowerPoint, OneDrive)
- Paycom
- Altru
- ArtSystems
- Zoom
- Google Workspace (Docs, Classroom)
- Canva
- Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator
Timeline
Director of Family and Community Initiatives
Norton Museum of Art
2024.01 - Current
Program and Operations Manager, Education Department
Armory Art Center
2021.01 - 2023.01
Instructional Project Lead and Art Educator
Master of Fine Arts -
University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
Bachelor of Fine Arts -
Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - Art Education
Carlow University