Toronto Dance Theatre is pleased to announce the appointment of Jessica Whitford as its new Managing Director. Ms Whitford has been working at the intersection of arts and business as an independent producer for the past decade in both Toronto and London, UK. She is currently the manager of Culture & Arts at Baycrest Health Sciences, overseeing a dynamic team of professionals who enrich older adults’ lives through cultural programming.
“We were very impressed with Ms. Whitford’s enthusiasm, professionalism and experience,” Toronto Dance Theatre Board President, Charles Pavia, says of the appointment. “We believe that she will make a substantial contribution to the future success of the company as we head into our next 50 years. We are very excited at the prospect of working with her and having her guide the operations of TDT for the foreseeable future.”
Artistic Director Christopher House says, “We are all very much looking forward to working with Jessica Whitford in her new position as Managing Director of Toronto Dance Theatre. Her skills and experience, and her interest in contemporary culture, position her well to join us at this exciting moment in the company’s history. On behalf of everyone at TDT, I would like to thank outgoing Managing Director Andrea Vagianos for her eight years of exemplary service to the company and wish her all the very best in her new role.”
Trained in classical and contemporary dance, Ms Whitford has enjoyed developing the Sharing Dance with People for Dementia program jointly created by Baycrest and Canada’s National Ballet School. Her clients have included Peter Chin, Sasha Ivanochko, Public Recordings, Dusk Dances, and Gandini Juggling in the UK, among others. Her passion for live events led her to work in the community with Pan Am/ParaPan Am Games, Hot Docs Film Festival and Toronto’s summer theatre festivals. Ms Whitford holds an MBA in Non-Profit Management & Leadership from the Schulich School of Business at York University and a B.A. in Dance from the University of Calgary.
Ms Whitford begins in her new role of Managing Director at TDT on April 23, 2018. She succeeds Andrea Vagianos, who leaves the company after eight years on March 24, 2018 to assume the role of Managing Director of Tarragon Theatre.