- Organisational strategy development & co-design
- Membership organisations strategy, practice, and accessibility
- Management of teams, people, programmes & projects
- Audience research & development
- Programme & project design
- Monitoring, evaluation, research & reporting
- Public engagement, creative learning & arts participation
- Advocacy & strategic comms
- Building strategic partnerships
- Developing and managing funding relationships
- Qualitative research
Education
2021 – 2025 PhD Media & Cultural Policy, CCPR, University of Glasgow
2019 – 2020 MSc Creative Industries & Cultural Policy, University of Glasgow (Distinction)
2006 – 2008 GE LLB Graduate Entry Law, Strathclyde University, Glasgow
2002 – 2006 MA (Hons) English Lit, Film and TV Studies, University of Glasgow
Recent Training
Intro to GDPR 2024,
Diversity in the Workplace 2024,
Storytelling for Presentations 2022,
Intro to Data Visualisation 2021,
Equalities Diversity and Inclusion Essentials 2021,
Project Management 2019,
Managing Innovation & Creativity 2019
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Providing research, case study development, mapping, organisational strategy, programme and event design, funding bid development and evaluation. Supporting a diverse range of cultural organisations to develop and excel in their work. Highlights include:
- Savourna Stevenson: fundraising and project development for new choral composition, 2025
- Panel and Craft Scotland: Make with the Knit Shop – Evaluation of Paul Hamlyn Funded Teacher Development programme, 2024-2025.
- Greenspace Scotland: Remembering Together online evaluation workshops for commissioned artists and local authority partners, 2024
- University of Glasgow: Public Engagement cross-college collaboration strategy development, 2024; and College of Arts Thinking Culture programme development workshop facilitation, 2023
- OneRen & Renfrewshire Council: Culture, Heritage & Events Fund (CHEF) grant assessment, 2023
- Panel: Making a model for MAKE, research into membership organisation models in Scotland, 2022
- Craft Scotland: MAKE Learn Research 2021-2022 and Craft Maker Listening Sessions, 2022
- Take Me Somewhere: Artist Basic Income Pilot Evaluation, 2022
- Glass Performance: Theatre Hub Polmont Evaluation Co-Design, 2023-2024
- Scottish Contemporary Art Network: Strategy development for membership organisation, 2020
- Puppet Animation Scotland: Audience development strategy development, 2019
- Glasgow Life: An Artist in Residence for Every Community, programme design and sector consultation, 2018
Recent publications.
- James-Beith, R. (2025 – forthcoming) Making it Together: Maker-led Organisations in Scotland’s Craft Ecology, PhD Thesis, Centre for Cultural Policy Research, University of Glasgow
- James-Beith, R. (2025 – forthcoming) MAKE with the Knit Shop: Learning Report, MAKE & Craft Scotland
- James-Beith, R. (2025) A co-created action plan for creative spaces in the City, Creative Glasgow
- James-Beith, R. (2023) Artist Basic Income Pilot: Evaluation Report, Take Me Somewhere
- James-Beith, R. (2021) Craft and Making Education in Scotland Today. Project Report Sep 2021. MAKE & Craft Scotland.
- James-Beith, R. (2017) Quality assessment: the experience in Glasgow 2014–2016. Cultural Trends, 26(4), pp. 325 – 327