Born and raised in Oklahoma City, Terri graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a BA in Journalism in 1983. Over the next 25+ years, Terri worked in different aspects of advertising and marketing for three ad agencies as a designer, copywriter and media buyer, culminating in a ten-year position as Advertising and Promotions Manager for Dr Pepper/7Up Bottling of St. Louis.
Terri and her husband, Tony, relocated to Durango in 2005 and had a strong desire to give back to the community. Having met Steve Dejka, a talented musician and instructor at a school called Excel, a discussion between Tony and Steve eventually resulted in the creation of Stillwater Music in 2005. The program started with 8-10 participants, including Terri and Tony’s two children, Frankie and Zac. Terri served as the volunteer Executive Director at Stillwater from 2008 until 2013 and both Frankie and Zac remained involved and grew as musicians until they moved on to college.
In 2015 Tony and Terri made the decision to move back to Oklahoma City to be near family. In 2024, the strong pull of the mountains lured them back to Durango! Terri is excited to rejoin the Board of Directors at Stillwater and continue building on the amazing growth and transformation the organization has experienced under the leadership of Jeroen van Tyn and Jana Leslie since 2015.