Leah Cox Appointed Director of Development
We are thrilled to share that Leah Cox will be joining Court Theatre as the new Director of Development, serving as a member of the University of Chicago’s Office of Advancement’s Arts & Culture team.
Leah is an accomplished development professional with experience in fundraising strategy, donor relations, and organizational leadership within the performing arts sector. Leah joins Court from her role as Associate Director of Development at the renowned New York Theatre Workshop (NYTW). In this role, Leah has been instrumental in raising over $4.5 million per year, implementing planned giving programs, and guiding data-driven strategic planning.
Leah’s tenure at NYTW has included serving as Interim Director of Development, where she spearheaded individual giving programs and played a key role in institutional giving, special events, and board engagement. Previously, as Director of Individual Giving, Leah consistently exceeded ambitious fundraising goals, managed major donor cultivation, and launched innovative donor engagement initiatives including NYTW’s donor newsletter, (Work)Shop Talk.
Leah shares, “After over a decade in New York, I am overjoyed to come back home to Chicago and rejoin the vibrant theatre community here, and I am so fortunate to have found a professional home at Court Theatre. Everything about this renowned institution excites me. The artistic work is innovative, ambitious, and illuminating, and the rich intellectual resources of the University of Chicago bolster that work, allowing for deeper exploration. What I am most inspired by is Court Theatre’s dedication to their vital community engagement and education programs. We are living through a moment when many arts organizations are being forced to cut programming due to diminished funding streams, and it is thrilling to see Court Theatre lean into civic engagement and mission-driven work. After all, our community is our most precious resource. I cannot wait to work together with that community and with the talented staff and artists at Court Theatre for many seasons to come.”
Prior to her time at NYTW, Leah held development roles at Atlantic Theater Company and Classic Stage Company, where she managed patron programs, planned special events, and cultivated institutional partnerships. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Illinois.
Please join us in welcoming Leah to Court Theatre and to the University of Chicago.