HEATHER MORAN

Transformational executive leader with 25+ years of experience scaling mission-driven and media organizations through strategic growth, innovative programming, and revenue diversification. Proven ability to lead complex organizations, grow audiences and revenue, and build high-impact partnerships that align mission with market opportunity. Recognized for bridging creative vision and operational execution, leading multi-million-dollar enterprises, building global brands, and delivering programming that drives both cultural relevance and financial sustainability.

• At the core of my leadership is a simple belief: organizations are at their strongest when they operate at the intersection of mission, audience, and opportunity. My work has been focused on building and leading organizations that not only deliver meaningful experiences but also translate those experiences into sustained growth, deeper engagement, and long-term impact.
• I have spent my career in environments where content, community, and strategy must work together. At Sixth & I, I stepped into a role that required both creative vision and operational discipline. The opportunity was not simply to manage an organization, but to evolve it, expanding its reach, strengthening its financial model, and ensuring its relevance in a rapidly changing cultural landscape.
• Over time, we reimagined the organization as a platform rather than a venue. We expanded programming by 40%, delivering more than 200 events annually, and grew our audience to over 50,000 participants. At the same time, we focused on building a sustainable business model—doubling the organization’s budget, increasing revenue by 120%, and significantly expanding our base of major donors and partners. These outcomes were not driven by programming alone, but by aligning every decision with a clear strategic framework: who we serve, why it matters, and how it supports the long-term health of the organization.
• Before leading Sixth & I, I spent over a decade at National Geographic Channels, where I operated at a global scale, managing a $120 million programming budget, leading international teams, and producing hundreds of hours of content annually. That experience shaped how I think about growth: it requires both creativity and rigor. It requires the ability to take calculated risks while maintaining operational excellence. And it requires a deep understanding of the audience, what resonates, what builds loyalty, and what drives sustained engagement.
• Across both media and nonprofit leadership, a consistent theme in my work has been building systems that connect vision to execution. Whether developing programming strategies that drive organizational change, or working in partnership with boards and stakeholders, I focus on creating alignment, ensuring that mission, operations, and revenue strategies reinforce one another rather than compete.
• I am also a deeply collaborative leader. I believe that the most effective organizations are those where teams are empowered, stakeholders are engaged, and leadership is both decisive and inclusive. My role is to set direction, build strong teams, and create an environment where people can do their best and most meaningful work.
• As I look toward my next chapter, I am particularly interested in opportunities where organizations are at an inflection point, where there is a need to scale impact, expand reach, or rethink how they engage with their audiences and stakeholders. I am drawn to mission-driven organizations and institutions that are ambitious about their future and open to evolving how they operate to achieve it.
• Ultimately, my goal as a leader is to help organizations move forward with clarity, momentum, and purpose, building not only successful programs, but resilient and enduring institutions.