Catherine Rutherford

CATHERINE RUTHERFORD 

• Calgary, Alberta 
• Ballet, Contemporary, Jazz 
• Career Pathway: Learning and Development Lead with a global digital marketing agency 

 Catherine Rutherford: I’ve been fortunate to work in an organization that values my experience as a dancer, and that has invested in my continued education to help me pursue my professional goals. I joined the organization shortly after my retirement from the stage and have now been with them for seven years. I started out as an intern with the company and worked my way up to the leadership role I’m in today. Our team works in tandem with Human Resources, Talent Acquisition, Internal Communications and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion to support our employees wholistic experience. Some of my focus areas include L&D technologies, onboarding, intern programing, and project management. I plan to continue to learn and grow within my field and hope to continue to move into more senior positions throughout my career. 

 CATHERINE’S STORY 

The DTRC’s financial support was key in my transition. They covered a huge chunk of my course fees. I started by taking just one online course while I was dancing. That led to another and another and before I knew it, I had finished two full educational programs! Having financial support took some of the stress off investing in an education. It gave me the freedom to explore options without the financial burden.  

I also took advantage of the DTRC’s counselling services once I retired. If I could have changed one thing, it would have been to access those services sooner as they were a great help! 

I donate to the DTRC because dance is an amazing artform that brings a lot of joy and value into artists’ lives, but it’s an artform that typically has an expirationdate. I feel that the DTRC is the best way to support amazing artists, so they can enjoy their career knowing they will have support transitioning to their next phase of life. 

 DTRC’S SUPPORT 

• Counselling 
• Skills Grants  
• Study Grant