Cate Elander

Cate Elander is the Director of State of the South. In collaboration with MDC staff and partners across the South, she brings together artists, community members, and policymakers to build relationships and share what’s working and not working in their communities. She curates storytelling and arts-centered experiences that lead to collaboration around the policy, systems, and narrative changes that lead to a thriving South. As a quilter and print maker, she believes deeply in the power of art to bring people together and spark change.

Cate is returning to MDC after serving as Durham County Government’s first Early Childhood Coordinator, where she focused on aligning the County’s approach to early childhood policy and investment birth-to-eight and strengthening County collaboration with early childhood systems building efforts. In her previous role at MDC, she provided strategic guidance and implementation support to philanthropic initiatives focused on early childhood systems change, family economic security, and educational equity in North Carolina.

Earlier in her career, her experience with community outreach, organizing, and home visiting at community-based organizations in the South and mid-Atlantic strengthened her commitments to community co-design, power sharing, and racial and economic justice. Cate has a BA in American Studies with a minor in Creative Writing from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an MA in Urban Affairs and Public Policy with a specialization in Community Development from the University of Delaware. Born and raised in Virginia and North Carolina, Cate lives in Durham, NC with her family.