Emma Off’s eight-year-old twins think she works in “a very boring profession.”
They might be surprised to learn that she once had a full art portfolio and planned to study fine arts.
Instead, Emma built a career helping businesses grow. As a mergers and acquisitions attorney and partner at Thompson Hine, she advised companies, founders and investment funds on acquisitions, joint ventures and capital raises. In December 2023, she became CEO, President and Partner of CincyTech, leading the venture investor’s strategy, fundraising and investment decisions.
Through every career move, she has made room for the arts—and helped shape their future in Cincinnati.
As a young attorney, Emma enrolled in ArtsWave’s Boardway Bound program, which prepares professionals for arts board service. It connected her with 1001 Colors, formerly ArtWorks, where she served for nearly nine years, including as board chair. She also served on the Ohio Arts Council. Today, as a member of ArtsWave’s Executive Committee and chair of its Governance Committee, she brings her business and board leadership experience to the organization supporting arts across the region.
For Emma, that work has deeply personal results. A paid apprenticeship with 1001 Colors helped her cousin build a career as an artist in New York. Her daughter comes alive in Children’s Theatre programs. And her own memories of inspiring art teachers and museum visits fuel her commitment to giving every child those opportunities.
“That is something that shouldn’t be seen as a privilege,” she says. “We need to make sure that every child in our community has access.”
When ArtsWave opened its original donor records, Emma discovered that three members of her husband’s family had contributed nearly a century ago. She and her husband, Robert, are continuing that tradition as Visionaries, giving to ArtsWave’s endowment to support the arts for generations to come.
“This community is steeped in the arts,” she says. “It is in our DNA.”
Her invitation to others is simple: “No gift is too small.”