Forty Under 40: Terri Trotter

Terri Trotter, 37, loves what she does for a living. With her background in marketing and promotions and her experience with a college drama troupe, she is a perfect fit for Walton Arts Center.

In 1990, Trotter earned a bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University in communication studies. She spent her summers with Epworth Drama Troupe. She got her masters in telecommunications at Indiana University.

After serving as promotion director at two radio stations, she spent more than four years as director of sales and marketing for Ivan Carlson & Associates, a corporate special events production company in Chicago.

Trotter and her husband wanted to raise a family in a great community, and after extensive research they settled on Fayetteville.

She is active in her church, in Leadership Fayetteville and has been active in Fayetteville Downtown Partners.

Trotter is most proud of an initiative she led two years ago to start the Walton Arts Center’s re-branding process. Also, the arts center’s annual ticket sales have risen from $800,000 six years ago to $2.4 million in 2004. She attributes the growth to a successful team effort.

The center operates on a $6 million annual budget and hosts 350 public events per year.