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On a warm summer night in Forest Park, The Muny President and CEO Kwofe Coleman ’01 greets audience members before any given show. This same man walked the halls of St. Louis U. High 25 years ago.

Under Coleman’s leadership, The Muny has been awarded a Tony for Best Regional Theater and diversified its audiences to better represent the St. Louis area. This desire for passion-filled success and heightened representation fostered itself at a young age for Coleman. Growing up in North County with two older sisters, he watched as his Ghanaian immigrant parents supported their tight-knit family. Coleman’s parents sought out the best schooling in the area, beginning his SLUH education with Upward Bound in 7th grade. 

“Upward Bound was the first time I was on the campus — I loved it,” said Coleman. “I loved the environment. I loved the feeling of brotherhood. I grew up without brothers, so it was just natural. After Upward Bound, SLUH was really the only option for me.”

After entering high school, Coleman quickly immersed himself in the SLUH experience. He joined the Community Service Program, participated in the Speech League, and became the ACES President. He also foreshadowed his career at The Muny by working as an usher each summer. With these extracurriculars, Coleman additionally devoted himself to his academics, especially loving his English classes. 

“For me, the time at SLUH was not just about the academics, but how to learn, how to problem solve, how to adjust,” said Coleman. “I think it instills a level of maturity, or forces you to grow up into a young man. I carry that more than facts or figures. I may not remember something from chemistry, but I remember who that teacher pushed me to be. That was equally or more valuable than the straight academics themselves.”

SLUH served as a place where Coleman could be himself. He found the complex reputation of the school to be a formational challenge, rather than a prideful mask.

“There's a joke that SLUH guys are on the thin line between confidence and arrogance,” said Coleman. “The thing about SLUH, though, is that we were encouraged to know and to be true to ourselves and that authentic self can be great. I think that is on the correct side of the confidence versus arrogance argument.”

Coleman then moved on to Emory University to receive a bachelor's degree in English. He began college with the notion that he would practice medicine, but this vision quickly faded. He transitioned to law, but lacked any true passion for the practice. During this time, he continued his involvement at The Muny, working as an intern most summers. 

Nonetheless, Coleman worked for the Southern Center for Human Rights as a death penalty investigator after college. He eventually became averse to the life of an attorney, leaving him torn on plans for the future. 

“What I knew is I wanted to do something that allowed me to be around people and feel like we were accomplishing something that had some greater good to it,” said Coleman. “I spent a lot of time in college really not knowing what (I would end up doing), but feeling confident that whatever it would be would work. I'd attribute that confidence to my high school years.”

Coleman ended up receiving a call from the Muny President and CEO at the time to work in the accounting department. Thinking he would only stay for a single year, this opportunity seemed like the perfect moment to reevaluate his future career. 

Thirteen years later, though, in 2021, Coleman was named the President and CEO of The Muny. In these years, Coleman held give separate roles. Most notably, he created the organization’s first digital communications department, expanding online and social media reach.

“Each professional evolution was a chance to use the reach or impact that this place has to somehow affect the community at large in a positive way,” said Coleman. “I also woke up loving the concept of coming here every day in a way that wasn't only self-serving.”

Because he worked as an usher at only 16 years old, Coleman felt familiar with The Muny community. He recognized that the diverse staff and audiences provided opportunities for learning new perspectives.

“I believe there is a purpose and value in every relationship, every moment, and every interaction,” said Coleman. “Fill your toolbox with those encounters.”

In becoming President and CEO, Coleman hoped to expand the reach of The Muny. He dreamed of a theater that was representative of all of St. Louis’ diverse tastes, facets, and interests. He also desired for the institution as a whole to evolve with time, never remaining stagnant. Though not an avid performer himself, Coleman found that live performance was the perfect setting to cultivate these missions.

“I can't name another activity that brings the truest of a shared experience,” said Coleman. “You watch a thing together, whatever emotion the thing on stage is evoking in you is the same in everybody — funny is just funny, sad is just sad — and I think that when you sit in a place that's as big as The Muny, you feel the same thing at the same time, and often that feeling is outwardly demonstrated. It, for just a moment, erases differences, and we need that as a community. Theater is a connecting point.”

Last year, The Muny received the 2025 Best Regional Theater Tony Award, marking its excellence in community engagement and production quality. This achievement displays the organization’s dedication to over a century of artistic excellence, as well as Coleman’s goals as President and CEO.

Even with these great achievements to come later in his career, Coleman faced adversity early on in his new role. He received personal attacks from members of the St. Louis community in letters and emails. 

“In the first season in this job we were coming out of a really necessary social justice referendum in the country, and so there was some negative response to me getting this job,” said Coleman. “Every community has its bad actors, though. That was tough because some people will not know you, but choose to hate, so that was unpleasant. I'm also not one that's easily shaken.”

Coleman was able to rise above the discrimination, honing in on the stakes that come with being at the head of a company. He learned how to balance joy with the stress of the job. 

“Joy and purpose first,” said Coleman. “Because if you find joy and purpose in what you're doing, you will be your best self and your best self has the highest earning potential, the highest success rate. We will all falter at some point for trying to be someone that we're not, but look for the place that feels right, that brings you joy, because you will operate at your peak in that job or that moment.”

Even as he accepts a Tony award for The Muny and continues to earn distinguishing accolades as a young businessman, Coleman never forgets his roots at SLUH. He currently serves on the Board of Trustees, a position he has held since 2020. Coleman often recalls all that he learned at SLUH, especially about being true to himself. 

“I think confidence and comfort with oneself is really important, especially in those years at SLUH. There's not an unimportant lesson to be learned at SLUH,” said Coleman. “I would hold a greater place in my heart from my high school than my college, significantly. I think I can truly say I am who I am more because of my high school years than any other set of time in my life thus far.”