Dallas Symphony Orchestra

As Terry Loftis Heads to the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Maura Sheffler Steps Up to Lead TACA

Loftis and Sheffler’s new roles begin December 1.

TACA Terry Loftis and Maura Sheffler
TACA

When Terry Loftis begins his new job at the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, he will be only a couple of blocks away from his former office.

After three years leading TACA (The Arts Community Alliance), Loftis will join Dallas’ leading orchestra as its Chief Advancement and Revenue Officer. Maura Sheffler, TACA’s Deputy Director, will become TACA’s interim President and Executive Director. Both executives begin their new roles on December 1.

Loftis’ tenure at TACA has been marked with unprecedented crises. When he began in late 2019, the arts grantmaking organization was facing financial woes. Loftis was making progress on those issues when TACA hosted its annual Silver Cup Award Luncheon in March 2020. It was the last large-scale event in Dallas before the pandemic shutdown.

“No one could have foreseen the nightmare that was going to start in March 2020,” Loftis said.

During the shutdown, TACA re-evaluated its priorities and retooled its programming. TACA established Resiliency Grants and turned its annual operations grant into the bi-annual Catalyst Grant distribution.

Mike Morgan Photography, courtesy of Uptown Players
Lee Walter as Lola and the company of Uptown Player's production of Kinky Boots. Uptown Players is one of 41 Fall 2022 Catalyst Grant recipients. TACA distributed $300,000 in this latest round of grant funding.

TACA Board members Tara Lewis and Carol March worked with Loftis to develop the Pop-Up Grant program, a grant initially intended to support arts organizations producing work in a safe way. Carol and Kevin March are the primary funders of the Pop-Up Grant.

When TACA relaunched its New Works Fund, Loftis and Sheffler were conscious of the social justice issues brewing within the arts community. They wanted the grant to support new voices that might have been overlooked in the past and reflect the priorities of equity, diversity, and inclusion.

“I think the takeaway from this is this wealth of new work that took root during COVID that is still with us today,” Loftis said. “Everyone was embracing what they were feeling, what they were living and that started to manifest in new work.”

“The pandemic sped up some of our response to our social justice reckoning as a country. I think it sped up our response to changes happening before COVID,” Sheffler said. “I think the murder of George Floyd catalyzed organizations to finally do what they’ve been talking about and be much more driven to take action.”

Loftis’ new job is something of a surprise to him. He was not looking to leave TACA. Kim Noltemy, Dallas Symphony Orchestra’s President and CEO, initially approached Loftis to help develop a job description for this new position. The position of Chief Advancement and Revenue Officer encompasses marketing and development and enhances strategic initiatives in both areas, especially as the orchestra tries to entice more audiences to return to in-person events post-pandemic.

Loftis appreciates Noltemy’s dedication to the community.

“Her goal is, as is the DSO’s as an organization, is not only to cultivate and maintain artistic excellence, but also move those tentacles into the community, taking classical music throughout Dallas and being part of an organization doing that on that scale is very appealing,” Loftis said.

During her nine years at TACA, Sheffler has worked with three executive directors. As she takes on the leadership role, she is hoping to strengthen relationships and foster stewardship.

“How do we deepen the connection between people who support TACA and the work we do?” Sheffler said. “How do we create experiences for our supporters that highlight the unique aspect of what we do?”

Her priorities include resetting TACA’s fundraising mechanism and refining ideas for the future.

“I think I’ll be doing a lot of listening,” Sheffler said.

Sheffler began playing the violin at age six and before she pursued an MA in Arts Management at SMU, she was a freelance musician.

“I think what I really deeply understand because of my background as an artist is how hard it is to make a living as an artist. It is hard,” Sheffler said.

“I think it has just really driven home why it is so important for us to figure out how to support our artists. I also have so many friends who didn’t take the path I did, who continued their training as artists who are working diligently to start their own organizations or to make a living to bring to life work that they feel like is important for communities to experience and engage in and they didn’t have the privilege of the academic training that I decided to go get at SMU through the master’s program,” Sheffler said.

“The goal would be for them to make beyond a living wage in North Texas,” Loftis said, noting artists in Chicago, New York City and Los Angeles are able to do just that. “Shame on us for the arts in North Texas for not at this point be able to collectively come together and say, ‘This is enough. We want our talent to stay here and to be able to live and thrive and not struggle and go when is my next production, when is my next concert, when is my next gig?’”

courtesy of kNOwBOX dance Film Festival 2022
"LIVING ON THE THRESHOLD" Film Still, Film by Vincent Bruno (Director) and Marine Chesnais (Choreographer & Dancer). kNOwBOX dance is a first-time recipient of a TACA Catalyst Grant.

As Loftis takes his last bow at TACA, he is grateful for the staff and board who have navigated three years of challenges and transformation with him.

“I think first and foremost, we’re no longer living paycheck to paycheck,” Loftis said. “This team we have in place right now has really gone through the gauntlet, not only sticking it out with TACA and with me, but more importantly sticking it out for the community.”

Once the Pop-Up Grant was established, Kevin March wanted to expand funding to individual artists, something TACA has never done. The Artist Bonus Fund was created to complement the Pop-Up Grants.

“I got to execute a brilliant idea,” Loftis said.

“Not only did they help create it, then they came back after we launched it and said, ‘We want to do more. We want to put money in the hands of the artists,” Loftis said. “The fact that TACA after 55 years is putting money into the hands of individual artists is something I’m very proud of.”

Learn more: TACA

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