Staff: Neeta Delaney, Co-Director, Michigan Foreclosure Task Force
Neeta Delaney currently serves as the Co-Director of the Michigan Foreclosure Task Force, a broad-based statewide coalition founded by CEDAM in 2007 to respond to the foreclosure crisis in Michigan. Neeta’s work on foreclosure at the state level was immediately preceded by similar work at the regional level. In 2008, she was hired by the Community Action Agency of Jackson, Lenawee & Hillsdale to develop and direct the tri-county Community Foreclosure Coalition which under her leadership eventually expanded to a 9-county region across mid-Michigan.
Neeta’s current work with CEDAM is on a contractual basis. She has her own consulting business that draws on her twenty-five plus years of nonprofit executive experience in leading collaborative change and innovation at the organizational, institutional, community and state level. Her career spans the fields of higher education, philanthropy, arts and culture, public policy, community development and the emerging field of cultural economic development.
Neeta spent the early part of her career as an administrator at Eastern Michigan University where she was responsible for the start-up of a number of new units and programs. In 1997, she left the University to become the President and CEO of The Jackson County Community Foundation (JCF) in Jackson, Michigan. During her tenure at JCF, Neeta led a number of community-wide initiatives including the creation of the Jackson Nonprofit Support Center, Jackson’s County’s Promise to Youth initiative, the creation of the Paul DuPuis Family Resource Center and the creation of the Arts & Culture Alliance of Jackson County.
In 2002, she left the Foundation to head up the development of the Armory Arts Project, a bold, innovative urban redevelopment effort that is transforming a 19-acre site that includes Jackson’s historic 19th century prison and the surrounding vacant industrial buildings into a unique arts-focused mixed-use neighborhood that now serves as home and workplace to 60 artists and their families. The Project is the centerpiece of a wide range of community revitalization efforts that successfully garnered Jackson, Governor Granholm’s 2004 Cool City in Progress designation.
&community development interests and arts & cultural interests throughout the state. As part of her work with the state, she authored Cultural Economic Development: A Practical Guide for Communities which has served as a much-needed starting point for communities working to leverage their arts and cultural assets and creative talents as community and economic development tools.
From March 2007 through September, 2008 Neeta served as the President & CEO of the statewide arts and cultural advocacy organization ArtServe Michigan successfully leading the organization through its merger with the Michigan Association of Community Arts Agencies.
Neeta has served on several state and local boards including the Council on Michigan Foundations, Michigan Nonprofit Association and Allegiance Health Care System. She is a frequent speaker at a wide range of conferences and symposia. She earned her bachelors degree in English literature and vocal music performance from The University of Michigan and her master’s degree in Arts Administration from Eastern Michigan University where she was honored with their 2004 Alumni Achievement Award.
Neeta is married to Ken Stevens, Managing Director of Theatre at Eastern Michigan University, and has two adult sons Noah and Adam Delaney and a beautiful grand-daughter, Maya Monroe Delaney.
Q&A with Neeta:
What drives your passion for neighborhood/community and economic development?
First of all, I’ve had a charmed life in that I’ve always been very fortunate to work on things that I’m passionate about. Secondly, I’m a voracious learner and so those things I’m passionate about cross over many different areas of interest. In general, though, if it’s something really challenging - either an exciting opportunity or daunting challenge – and it will improve the quality of life for Michigan communities and residents, I’m in! The foreclosure crisis certainly fills the bill on the daunting challenge side of the equation so that’s why I’m doing this work.
Why do you love Michigan?
I was born and raised here ( in Saginaw) and have travelled far and wide, but have never found a place I love more. I never plan to leave and have consciously chosen to use my energy and talents here. Michigan’s unique combination of natural beauty, cultural diversity in arts, food, ethnic traditions and plain old people together with our creative innovative spirit has me hooked. Both my husband and I love everything about Michigan from the old growth hemlocks of the U.Ps Porcupine Mountain to the grit and entrepreneurial energy of Detroit and everything in between.
How do your family and/or community inspire your work?
My husband, my two sons and my grand-daughter all inspire me on a daily basis. Together they are my joy, my rock and my reality check. Just having our lives intertwined makes me more resilient and able to contribute more to the greater good than I otherwise would because at the end of the day they remind me of what’s important and what’s not. That in turn helps me preserve my energy for those things that are important and on which I can have an impact.
What do you do in your free time (if it exists!)?
I love to travel and to create things! For me, travel is one of the most exciting and powerful ways to learn about the world . . . its flora, fauna, people, culture and history. I can’t get enough of it. Every year, we try to visit a part of the world we’ve never seen. I know we’ll never make it through our list in one short lifetime, but we’re making a good showing.
I also love to create things. Whether it shoveling a truckload of dirt to landscape a new garden area or sewing or crocheting something unique for a loved one to wear or display or taking nature photos or baking bread or homemade pies or singing and playing the piano. In many ways, these are all the same to me. They all involve creation and/or creative expression. It’s just how I’m put together and it’s how I spend my free time!
Updated July 6, 2011