Naomi Grabel is an arts leader with expertise and experience in fund development, marketing, program management and governance. She served as Executive Director of Development Strategy and Growth at The Met Opera from 2019 - 2023. She oversaw major gifts, international fund raising, government advocacy, development operations and corporate sponsorship, and oversees foundations relations and special campaigns for world’s largest performing arts organization.

As CEO of the American Friends of the Israel Philharmonic from 2016 - 2018, Grabel led American fundraising efforts in support of Israel’s most important cultural ambassador and launched several major initiatives for the organization, including the Zubin Mehta legacy campaign and a national membership program. For eight years as Director of Marketing and Creative Services at Carnegie Hall, she headed major sales, brand and digital campaigns. From 2006 – 2008, Ms. Grabel was Director, Marketing & Development, for Sydney Opera House, where she steered a re-branding project and launched the first-ever philanthropy program for Australia’s leading arts center. Prior to that tenure, she was the Vice President of Marketing and Communications for Philadelphia’s Kimmel Center and Managing Director of Philadelphia’s Wilma Theater. She most recently served as Vice President, Marketing, Publicity, Sales and Education at Disney Theatrical, overseeing all promotional efforts for Disney’s three Broadway blockbusters: The Lion King, Aladdin and Frozen.

Ms. Grabel has served on peer review panels for the National Endowment of the Arts and the New Jersey State Arts Council, and was on the Executive Committees of the League of Resident Theatres and of the Greater Philadelphia Theatre Alliance. From 2011 – 2014, she chaired the board of Doug Varone and Dancers, and from 2009 - 2011 she served as co-president of the League of Professional Theatre Women. She was a founding board member for Audience 360, a New York City-wide arts data initiative. She presently serves on the Director’s Advisory Council of the Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts at the University of Pennsylvania and the Advisory Board of SMU DataArts.

A faculty member at the Yale School of Drama teaching arts marketing, Ms. Grabel has guest-lectured at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, NYU, Duke University, SMU and Texas A&M. She is a regular speaker at industry conferences across the arts spectrum. Ms. Grabel is a graduate of the Yale School of Drama and the University of Pennsylvania.