Brenda Ross
Brenda S. Ross is currently the community and partner engagement director for the Music Therapy Department at Berklee College of Music. She joined the department 18 years ago, serving as the manager of the Music Therapy Institute, which has recently been rebranded. In her current role, Ross works in support of the three key areas of business within music therapy: undergraduate education, Center for Music Therapy, and the Music and Health Institute. Ross's key role is to connect the Music Therapy Department to key stakeholders who share the vision of music as a resource for healthcare and health and wellness.
Ross has had a varied career path. Each of her professional experiences, while seemingly different, has informed the role that followed. She sees herself as a facilitator of conversation, a thought partner, a collaborator, and an implementer. She challenges and continuously pushes herself as well as others towards creativity, innovation, and excellence.
Prior to her time at Berklee College of Music, Ross worked in the private sector within the telecommunications industry. She began as a Walter Kaitz fellow in this industry, spending 16 years in various marketing roles with a focus on strategy development. Ross’s last role was with Media One as the director of marketing strategy and information asset management. She received various awards and recognitions through CTAM, an industry sector organization.
Ross spent five years at IXL/Tessera Enterprise Systems as a consultant to Fortune 500 companies. As the director of strategy consulting, she worked in collaboration with technologists on developing CRM solutions for clients to ensure technology platforms were being developed to support organizational business goals.
Ross’s very first career endeavor was that of a registered music therapist working for the State of New York in psychiatric settings.
Ross volunteers her time serving on various boards and community committees. She is interested in those organizations that are committed to youth development, dismantling all of the “isms,” and the arts. Ross currently sits on the board of the Community Music Center of Boston as co-vice-president and serves on the Youth Advisory Committee for the town of Wayland.
Ross holds a Bachelor of Music from the University of Dayton, and an MBA in business administration and a certificate in arts administration from Adelphi University. She also completed executive leadership development from the Center for Creative Leadership and the Partnership Fellows program.
When she is not working or volunteering, Ross spends time on Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard, and traveling to many different places in the world. Her favorite place to be is NYC, which will forever be her home. Ross is a lover of the arts, being outdoors, spending time with her family, learning new things, dancing, and being in the company of kind and conscious people.