TACA Announces Leadership Changes Effective December 1 November 4, 2022

Maura Sheffler Named Interim President & Executive Director as Terry D. Loftis Accepts New Position at the DSO

Media Contact: Denver Hood, denver.hood@taca-arts.org, 214.520.3930

(Left) Maura Sheffler, Photo by Gary Donihoo. (Right) Terry D. Loftis.

DALLAS (November 4, 2022) – TACA – The Arts Community Alliance – Board of Directors announced today that nine-year TACA veteran Maura Sheffler has accepted the interim role of President and Executive Director effective December 1, 2022.  Sheffler steps into her new position as Terry D. Loftis pursues a new opportunity as Chief Advancement and Revenue Officer with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra.

Michael L. Meadows, TACA Board of Directors Chairman, said, “We are thrilled that Maura has accepted the interim leadership role with TACA.  Maura has demonstrated her prowess in managing increasingly complex and broad programming and large-scale projects in her nine years with us.  She has overseen the strategic restructuring of our grantmaking, community impact surveys, and our work to create meaningful diversity, equity, and inclusion programs in Dallas.  Our Board feels fortunate to have someone with such deep experience already on our staff and is confident in Maura’s ability to effectively lead TACA in the months ahead.  We wish Terry well as he pursues a new opportunity and are grateful for his past leadership.  We look forward to continued collaboration with him and the DSO.”

Sheffler stated, “I look forward to having a deeper impact on TACA’s operation in the way that I’ve been privileged to grow and transform our programming.  Taking on this new role is a unique opportunity to leverage my experience as we continue to redefine and reimagine our business model.  I hope to support TACA’s future growth through my knowledge of our arts community, building even deeper connections between our supporters and the arts community we serve.”

Loftis added, “Maura understands TACA, our mission, and programming better than anyone, and I’m thrilled to pass the baton to her as she takes on the new role.  In the past three years, I’ve relied on her extensively for her knowledge of the arts and cultural landscape.  She is an extraordinary connector and friend, and I look forward to continuing to work with Maura and TACA in my new DSO role.”

About Maura Sheffler
Maura Sheffler is an arts management and grantmaking professional passionate about creating a more vibrant, equitable, and efficient cultural sector that can support a more sustainable future for artists, audiences, and arts organizations.

Previously as Deputy Director at TACA, she led grantmaking, programs, and marketing strategy.  Since 2013, Maura has played a leading role in TACA’s transition from a grantmaker to a more responsive, holistic arts service organization.  During her tenure, she has launched new grant programs, strengthened relationships with TACA’s multidisciplinary grantees, collaborated on community research initiatives, and built programs that serve as the foundation for TACA’s equity, diversity, and inclusion strategy.

Under Maura’s leadership, TACA’s grantmaking offerings have grown in both number and sophistication.  Taking a collaborative, community-informed approach, Maura has facilitated the development and launch of four new grant programs – the Artist Residency Fund, Emergency Arts Relief Fund, Resiliency Grants, and Pop-Up Grants.  She also managed restructuring two existing grant programs to strengthen equitability and impact – the Catalyst Grant program (formerly known as the Arts General Operating Grant Program), which provides critical unrestricted support to arts organizations, and the New Works Fund, which currently supports the development of new works of art by Black, Indigenous, and other people of Color (BIPOC) artists, LCGTQ+ artists, and female artists in North Texas.

Maura has driven the strategy and growth behind TACA’s service offerings, including an annual symposium that convenes regional arts leaders and a professional development program curated for artists and arts managers.  Workshop topics have included audience development, communications, fundraising, and more.  Since 2017, TACA has convened and participated in seven EDI-focused workshops, the learnings from which have guided TACA’s own emerging EDI strategy.

Her youth was shaped by classical music, beginning violin lessons at the age of six.  She attributes her discipline, confidence, and dedication to her musical training.  Before transitioning to a career in arts management, Maura worked extensively as a freelance musician.  Her previous immersion in music blossomed into a fierce passion for the belief that art and artmaking should be accessible to everyone and for the sector’s sustainability.

Maura regularly volunteers her time for causes important to her.  She is an active member of Southern Methodist University’s alum community and frequently guest lectures on arts management topics.  She served as an inaugural member of the SMU Meadows School of the Arts Dean’s 2050 Council, where she advised on strategy development.  Previously, she served as a Grants Panelist for the Houston Arts Alliance.  Maura has earned a BA in Music, an MA in Arts Management, and an MBA in Marketing from SMU.

About TACA
TACA (The Arts Community Alliance) supports excellence and impact in the arts through grant-making, capacity building, and thought leadership. TACA envisions an innovative, inclusive, sustainable cultural sector recognized for its essential contribution to a vibrant, prosperous community. Since its founding in 1967, TACA has worked to establish North Texas’ cultural community as one of the strongest in the nation. TACA’s growing investment in the arts translates to new premieres and productions, impactful residencies and community initiatives, and more opportunities for artists and audiences to connect – all striving to make Dallas a dynamic city and a great place to live and work.

For more information about TACA, call 214-520-3930 or visit taca-arts.org. Connect with TACA on Facebook at facebook.com/tacadallas, Twitter at @TACADallas or on Instagram at @TACADallas.