Randy Cohen is Vice President of Research at Americans for the Arts (AFTA)—the national advocacy organization for the arts—where he has been empowering arts advocates since 1991. He is known for balancing rigorous research methods with accessible and actionable results. He recently published Arts & Economic Prosperity 6: The Economic Impact of Nonprofit Arts & Culture Organizations and their Audiences, as well as Americans Speak Out About the Arts in 2023, a national public opinion study about the arts. Randy led the development of The National Arts Index, the annual measure of the health and vitality of arts in the U.S.

Randy's Golden Rule of Advocacy is: No numbers without a story and no story without numbers.

He is well-known for his storytelling as well as his research methodology, and perhaps more than any other person, he has presented the arts and their economic impact in ways that are easy to understand and accessible to all.

He is the 2024 recipient of the Sidney Yates Advocacy Award for outstanding advocacy on behalf of the arts in America. His 10 Reasons to Support the Arts blog received the Gold Award from the Association of Media & Publishing—their top honor for best blog post of the year. A sought-after speaker, Randy regularly appears in the news media—including the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and on C-SPAN, CNN, CNBC, and NPR.

Randy has been a policy specialist for the National Endowment for the Arts, founded the San Diego Theatre for Young Audiences, and worked in medical research for Stanford University and Scripps Clinic and Research Foundation.

Please join us and discover the impact of arts organizations on your community. For more information, contact Ramona Baker (ramona.baker@goucher.edu).