An accomplished community leader and fundraiser, Cathy Leff served as director of the Wolfsonian at Florida International University from 1997 to 2014. In her leadership role, she helped the institution evolve into a respected research center. Throughout the course of her career, Cathy Leff has been involved in a number of community organizations. From 1976 to 1987, she served as assistant director of the City of Miami Community Development Department, where she headed cultural planning initiatives such as the Arts in Public Places Program and Community Development Block Grant Program, which planned economic development projects in low-income communities.