Staff Profile – Teri Worthington Coombs, Director of Development

How long have you worked at Soulpepper and tell us a little bit about what your job consisted of lately.

I’ve worked at Soulpepper since March of 2011, it will be 4 years in the spring and the time has flown by! As Director of Development I work on all of our Private Sector fundraising projects including working with our amazing corporate sponsors, foundation partners and individual donors as well as bringing new supporters to the company. I also work on our annual fundraising event Soulpepper at Play – I’m so proud that the 2014 event was the most successful fundraiser in our history, raising over $600,000 for our work onstage and in the community!

What (if any) kinds of shows/productions/events have you been involved in outside of work?

Outside of my work life, I mostly support the arts as an audience member and a donor. Before Soulpepper, I worked at the National Ballet and am a huge fan of the company’s artists and their work. It is also great to see the new generation of artists come into their own as producers including the Howland Company (howlandcompanytheatre.com) and Jacqueries (jqrs.org)

When you’re not at work, what are you doing?

I’m a bit obsessed with running, and just completed my 2nd full marathon. There are a few runners at Soulpepper and of course we are all inspired by our master athlete Oliver Dennis – once I learn to swim I might try a triathlon!

I’ve also figured out how to mix running with my love of travel so I can indulge in great food and wine and get a race or two in at the same time!

What do you love about working at Young Centre/Soulpepper?

I’m consistently in awe of the level of dedication everyone at Soulpepper has to the company and all of our streams of activity! I have the great privilege to work with some of the most talented, hard-working, inspiring and fun people I’ve ever met. Under Albert and Leslie’s leadership, amazing things happen here and it is wonderful to be a part of those accomplishments!