The Maplewood Village Alliance has a new manager: Catherine (Cat) Delett, a well-regarded and admired local artist with experience supporting and managing nonprofits arts and business groups.
Delett was introduced to the community as the new manager at the July 20 Maplewood Township Committee by Deputy Mayor Dean Dafis, who serves as TC liaison to the the MVA.
Per her LinkedIn profile, Delett thrives “in a setting where it’s all hands on deck. I specialize in email communications, social media, graphic design, marketing, and web content, art show curation and installation, and helping out wherever needed – from painting walls to weeding the back garden. I am also a working artist and an avid supporter of the local arts community.”
Cat Delett
In June 2019, Delett co-founded Good Crowd Events, which organizes, “community projects and art exhibits designed to bring communities together around creativity.”
From November 2016 to June 2019, Delett served as Director of Communications for ValleyArtsInc. — a nonprofit that provides “community collaboration, creative arts education, and creating economic opportunities for local artists, makers, and small business owners” in the Valley Arts District, a 15-block area straddling Orange and West Orange.
From 2015 to 2018, Delett produced the Arts in SOMa and the Valley newsletter, “a weekly email events calendar for the local communities via email, social media, website. Includes researching and discovering all local events, managing relationships with contacts, communicating with organizations and venues, writing content, designing email and website templates, and creating graphics.”
Delett also has been a very active local volunteer, including with Morrow Memorial Preschool and the Prison Journalism Project.
Delett told Village Green that she has been working with Deb Colon, the outgoing MVA manager, since July 1, in order to ensure a smooth transition. Delett takes over as manager on August 1.
At the Township Committee meeting on July 20, Delett noted her extensive experience working with non-profits and told TC members, “I look forward to working with you.”
“Congratulations and welcome, Cat!” said Mayor Frank McGehee.
The Maplewood Village Alliance is a non-profit special improvement district, which includes merchants, property owners and residents dedicated to the preservation, promotion and enhancement of Maplewood Village. It sponsors and promotes events in the Village business district and performs a variety of supplemental services such as sidewalk cleaning and design review.
The founding director of the MVA was Allison Ziefert. Ziefert was followed by Virginia Lamb Falconer, Amy Koehler, Julie Doran (who went on to become director of the South Orange Village Center Alliance and is now Asst. Village Administrator for South Orange Village Township) and Deb Colon.
Find out more about Delett’s art at catdelettart.squarespace.com.
