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As an entrepreneur and chief executive officer, Caren Rabbino has extensive experience in strategic planning and managing operations to insure growth and stability for technology-dependent businesses and non-profit institutions. Most recently, she worked in Karnataka, India on an educational initiative (women’s health and hygiene) in close coordination with a major microfinance institution.

Since establishing Fast Forward in 2000, Ms. Rabbino has worked with entrepreneurial companies across a wide range of industries, including manufacturing, video and television production, software development, publishing, wine and spirits, energy, social services, architecture and design, as well as universities, non-profits and national foundations. The common thread among these businesses is the need for an outside perspective to re-think strategic and operational issues that thwart organizational growth.

Working closely with the CEO and the management team, Ms. Rabbino maps operational processes, establishes consistent business rules and finds the relevant benchmarks to inform decision-making, bringing clarity and rigor to business operations. When leaders eliminate arbitrary, often personality-driven policies, the way of working becomes more customer-oriented and, thus, more profitable. Through its network of specialists and affiliates, Fast Forward introduces best practices in finance, marketing, sales, customer service, human resources and information technology.

From 1987 to 1998, Ms. Rabbino served as Executive Director of Miami Light Project, a not-for-profit cultural organization, producing an annual music, dance and theater series. Currently in its 21st season, MLP is supported by national foundations; corporate sponsors; federal, state and local government grants; private donors; and, earned revenue from ticket sales. MLP continues to provide workshops for artists; educational programs for students and commissioning opportunities for performers. Since its inception, MLP has reached under-served communities through an outreach effort that includes partnerships with other arts organizations, universities and social service agencies.

Ms. Rabbino began her career as an Account Supervisor with Arts & Communications Counselors, the nation's largest public relations agency specializing in cultural marketing and promotion. Ms. Rabbino developed and implemented programs for corporate and individual sponsors of major cultural and educational institutions. In New York, she managed the promotion and marketing of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, the Next Wave Festival and the Joffrey Ballet, on behalf of their principal sponsor, Philip Morris Companies.

Ms. Rabbino received a masters degree from the Interactive Telecommunications Program at New York University (2000). Her studies focused on content integration; interaction design and production; and, business strategies for the digital economy. Ms. Rabbino received a B.A. in the History of Art (1982) and an M.A. in English Literature (1984) from the University of Pennsylvania.

Ms. Rabbino serves as a judge for the Global Social Venture Competition (Columbia University) and on the Board of Directors of Hester Street Collaborative in New York.