While vice president of account management at Leo Burnett Worldwide, Andrew Keenan decided to confront his demons. What was he so afraid of? Accounting and finance. Since his role at a global advertising agency had him dealing with multi-million-dollar budgets for accounts like General Motors, he needed exposure to those subjects. Keenan enrolled in Robinson’s Executive MBA (EMBA) program. Ironically, accounting and finance ended up being his favorite classes.
“At the time, I was focused on Pontiac, a General Motors brand that was struggling,” Keenan said. “The EMBA courses helped me better guide clients from a strategic standpoint.”
For example, Keenan spearheaded an initiative that encouraged foreign vehicle owners to trade their cars for a Pontiac. Customers who registered their new Pontiac online qualified for a cash rebate.
“In the early 2000s, doing anything related to the Internet was considered innovative,” Keenan laughed. “Now it seems hilarious.”
Keenan in Callanwolde's greenhouse
After completing his EMBA in 2003, Keenan stayed at Leo Burnett for another couple years, until General Motors’ fate became clear: bankruptcy. The next 14 years included stints as president of Verus Carbon Neutral, a business that helps companies measure their carbon footprint and offset their energy use; new business director at branding shop Mindpower; and chief client advocate at Cochran Wealth, a comprehensive financial planning firm. He used the skills he developed in the EMBA program here and there, but didn’t fully leverage them until becoming executive director of Callanwolde Fine Arts Center in 2017.
“You can’t effect change in a big corporate agency. You can only do so much within your own little department,” Keenan said. “At Callanwolde, I’m responsible for the bottom line every day and take advantage of all the skills I acquired at Robinson.”
For starters, Keenan orchestrated a major culture shift. To create an environment of empathy and collaboration, he required the entire Callanwolde staff to read the Arbinger Institute’s Leadership and Self-Deception: Getting Out of the Box. The international bestseller takes readers through the process of exposing subconscious self-sabotaging behaviors to achieve personal and professional success.
“Happy employees perform better,” Keenan said. “Our staff care about doing the right thing for the organization, not just themselves.”
For example, Callanwolde staff collaborated to reduce expenses as well as increase revenues.
“Everyone pitched in with ideas to save money,” Keenan said. “Seemingly silly things like installing paper towel dispensers and switching to an electronic security system added up to thousands of dollars in savings per year.”
It’s worth explaining that while Callanwolde offers classes in areas such as dance, pottery, yoga, painting, writing, and music, those classes break even. Wedding rentals are what Keenan calls the “grease and gears.” They support financial aid, and enable Callanwolde to compensate teachers well and keep its programs competitively priced. Keenan prioritized holding weddings at Callanwolde every weekend, and gave his staff more freedom to negotiate fees.
Keenan also took advantage of filming opportunities. Truth be told, holding TV shoots on Callanwolde grounds presents a major inconvenience to students. They can’t park on campus and have to take a shuttle, or classes get rescheduled altogether. But through transparent conversations with teachers and students, Keenan posed filmings as a great benefit to them in the end; with the proceeds, Callanwolde has purchased 11 pottery wheels, replaced an outdated dance floor, and acquired four anvils for new blacksmithing courses.
“The students see the rewards and 100% support it,” Keenan said. “They say, ‘Yes, do more filmings. We want Callanwolde to be sustainable.’”
Callanwolde has built the city of Atlanta’s first-ever Ability Garden, a group of three- to four-feet raised beds enabling students in wheelchairs and stroke victims to participate in gardening education.
Keenan’s sights are equally set on Callanwolde’s future. He recently facilitated a rewrite of the organization’s mission statement to underscore its work with underserved groups:
To provide the Atlanta community with premier, accessible arts education, especially to the underserved, while promoting enjoyment of the arts at the historic and inspiring Callanwolde estate.
Callanwolde hosts field trips for students from Title 1 schools, which are K-12 institutions receiving federal funding to support a high percentage of students from low-income families. In partnership with GiGi’s Playhouse, Callanwolde sponsors classes for children with Down syndrome. And, Callanwolde has built the city of Atlanta’s first-ever Ability Garden, a group of three- to four-feet raised beds enabling students in wheelchairs and stroke victims to participate in gardening education. Keenan is especially proud of the art classes Callanwolde provides to veterans living with PTSD.
Keenan could take credit for Callanwolde’s success over the past few years. But in the spirit of Leadership and Self-Deception, he gives the kudos to his staff.
“I try to empower everyone,” he said. “I encourage my staff not to be afraid and to come to me with new ideas. It creates a lot of work, but it’s great work. I’m super proud of them.”