Title: Executive Director
Workplace: The Delaware Contemporary
Alma Maters: University of Pittsburgh, John F. Kennedy University
Board: Riverfront Wilmington Business Improvement District
What was your first job? “Box office manager for a playhouse.”
Leslie Shaffer came to the 45-year-old Delaware Contemporary, the state’s only contemporary art museum, in 2017 after having led Artspace in New Haven, Conn., and the Contemporary Museum in Baltimore. While she initially led the museum’s programs and public engagement, she was promoted to its top job just two years later. The Contemporary houses seven galleries, 26 artist studios, an auditorium, classroom, and more, offering resources to the community to learn about and practice their art. Shaffer has also committed the Contemporary to support underrepresented artists through a new DE&I action plan and has exhibited many local artists in recent years.
