Susan Delvalle, the head of the national nonprofit Creative Capital, has announced that she will step down from the helm of the organization, which she has led through a period of major growth since assuming the role of president and executive director in 2016, in September. She will continue to serve in an advisory role for the remainder of the year. A search for a new director is already underway.

“Suzy has been instrumental in securing Creative Capital’s long-term sustainability, developing infrastructure and resources, and catalyzing innovations,” board cochair Stephen Reily said in a statement. “Her work will have a lasting impact on Creative Capital and the artists whose work she’s championed.”

Delvalle, who succeeded Creative Capital founder Ruby Lerner as the nonprofit’s director, helped the nonprofit increase its annual operating budget by 20 percent by instituting a three-year fundraising cycle, grew the board,  established a national advisory council, and expanded the services offered to artists. Her departure was originally planned for earlier this year, but she stayed on in order to facilitate the organization’s response to the Covid-19 outbreak.

As the pandemic roiled the United States, Creative Capital quickly pivoted to respond to the rapidly evolving situation, accelerating the distribution of its award funding, developing a widely shared database of resources for affected artists that was archived by the Library of Congress as an important historical resource, and joining a myriad of philanthropic and research efforts, including the newly formed initiative Artist Relief.

Commenting on her experience with the nonprofit, Delvalle said: “I’m immensely proud of what we’ve accomplished in the last four years, and in the last few months, when the coronavirus pandemic has challenged us as never before. I will always admire, and will continue to follow and support, Creative Capital and its artists!”