CATA Names New Development Director
 |
GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — Community Access to the Arts has appointed Alexandra Heddinger as the nonprofit's new development director.
Heddinger's hiring comes at a pivotal moment for the organization as they prepare to open their new, fully accessible arts center and implement a strategic expansion of the nonprofit’s innovative arts programs for people with disabilities.
Heddinger comes to CATA from Berkshire Country Day School, where she served as director of admission and marketing, and the Darrow School in New Lebanon, N.Y., where she worked for 17 years, most recently as director of advancement. Heddinger has deep ties to the local arts community, having started her career as a stage manager for Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival.
Heddinger will work with Executive Director Margaret Keller to expand CATA's fundraising activities and oversee the organization's donor relations program, furthering its mission to enhance the lives of people with disabilities through the arts. She will also work closely with Kate Harding, CATA's recently hired development associate, a Texas native with a BFA in dance and BA in communication studies, who has interned at Jacob’s Pillow and the American Dance Festival in Durham, N.C.
"As we embark on this exciting next stage of growth for CATA, we're thrilled to welcome Alex to a senior position on our team," Keller said. "Alex will apply her extensive experience in fundraising and in relationship-building to build financial support for critical programs serving artists with disabilities. As an independent nonprofit, CATA is especially reliant on gifts and donations to implement programs serving more than 800 people with disabilities. With Alex's arrival and this expansion in CATA's development function, we’ll be in the right position to strategically expand programs so we can do even more for our community."
"I am thrilled to join the CATA family and help build the organization’s resources to reach further into the community," Heddinger said. "CATA has a stellar reputation for serving an oft-overlooked segment of the population. Having grown up in a household with disabled parents, it is especially meaningful to me that I will be making a difference to increase accessibility for a broad range of individuals. I look forward to strengthening connections with CATA supporters, business friends and program partners."
Community Access to the Arts nurtures and celebrates the creativity of people with disabilities. Through dynamic arts workshops and public events, CATA artists tap into their potential, explore new talents, and share their unique points of view with the wider community. CATA collaborates with 50 partner organizations to bring visual and performing arts programs to 800 people with disabilities across Berkshire County, Massachusetts and Columbia County, New York.
Tags: CATA, people in the news,
