Biography

seth cutterWithin the span my short life, I have developed a wide variety of passions and skills—from playing piano and creating music, in general, to building more effective organizations through strategic planning and using data to propel smarter decision-making. Luckily, I have been able to find outlets to translate my passions into work that creates value for people, organizations, and communities that I care about.

Most recently, I founded Cutter Solutions, LLC, a boutique consulting firm that assists public, private, and non-profit clients improve organizational effectiveness and outcomes by using data-driven decision-making in all they do. Focusing on best management and communication practices, I have been and am able to help a variety of organizations implement smart strategies that improve their business; my attention to detail and unwavering drive to deliver the best-researched and most-thorough solutions allows my clients to clearly see the value of my skills.

Before founding my firm, I worked with Strategic Advisers, a Northern Kentucky-based public relations and organizational consulting firm. As a strategy consultant there, I managed more than a half-dozen accounts monthly, working for a diverse group of clients on everything from web development and copy writing to strategic planning, economic development, and social media strategy.

Outside of these professional work experiences, I have also held leadership posts with a variety of other public and private organizations. I previously worked for the U.S. House of Representatives, a field office for the Governor of Kentucky, the Office of Inspector General at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and the National Association of Regional Councils. Between 2008 and 2009, I served as student body president at American University, directly managing a staff of 20 and a collective budget of more than $500,000. The following year, I was privileged to serve a term on the university’s Board of Trustees.

When I lived in North Carolina, I helped manage efforts at Triangle J Council of Governments in Durham, NC, to study regional shared services projects. I built upon this work and completed a research project in 2012 examining the impact of North Carolina’s 16 regional councils on local government leaders’ attitudes toward interlocal collaboration. Also during that time, I worked as a research assistant to faculty at the University of North Carolina School of Government, the largest university-based local government training, advisory, and research organization in the United States. I co-authored a website on the citizen engagement efforts of more than 85 local governments across the country. I also assisted in revising and preparing Local Government in North Carolina, a high school civics textbook, for online publication.

Between 2010 and 2012, I was honored to work with composer Roger Petrich at the parish of St. Thomas More in Chapel Hill, NC. As a baritone, I strengthened my vocal skills and culminated my work there in a performance of Theodore Dubois’ Seven Last Words of Christ in March 2012. Before that, I directed the Catholic Choir & Ensemble at American University between 2007 and 2010. As main accompanist and choir director, I planned and performed at the weekly on-campus liturgies there. The highlight of being a musician in Washington came in 2008 when I was chosen to join a 500-member choir that sang for then-Pope Benedict XVI at the Washington Nationals Stadium.

I earned a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2012. Prior to that, I completed an undergraduate degree in political science, philosophy, and leadership studies from American University in Washington, DC, in 2010. Graduating magna cum laude, I was humbled to receive the President’s Award, the University Student Award for Outstanding Service, and the Cathryn Seckler-Hudson Award at commencement.

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