The below article was originally published by JVA on December 3, 2023. Click here to see the original article.
The JVA is pleased to announce the addition of Cat Dailey Minyard to the JVA Board of Directors. She will begin a three year term on the Board in January 2024.
Cat is the Founder and Director of Northeast Volleyball Club in Norwalk, CT. She and her husband Garrett founded the club in 2018 after returning from playing professional volleyball overseas, and together have grown from 10 teams to 35 teams this past season. They also purchased a facility in 2022 with SBA 504 funding and opened the Northeast Athletic Center with 6 Taraflex courts.
Since the COVID pandemic, Cat has been extremely helpful and engaging with JVA members and the JVA staff. She is regularly on JVA Club Direction LIVE calls, sharing ideas, leading helpful discussions, and solving problems with other JVA Directors. Cat also contributes to JVA business education and will lead off this year’s JVA Club Management Track at the AVCA Convention alongside her husband, Garrett, as they present “Making Your Club a Home: How to Build a Club Culture, Coaching Staff, and a Facility That Athletes Love.” On the event side, her club’s boys and girls teams participates in JVA events and she started a JVA insured power league in the Northeast during the COVID pandemic.
“As a relatively new Club Director (5 years), I believe I could contribute fresh perspectives to the management and vision of the JVA. As a club, we are constantly evolving, trying new things, and staying ahead of the curve, and I have always admired the way that the JVA manages their organization and evolves as the game and the club volleyball world changes,” said Cat.
In addition to running business operations, managing a team of five directors and facility staff at NEVBC, Cat is also the Recruiting Director and has helped over 60 NEVBC athletes go on to play in college in that role, from the ACC to the Patriot League to the NESCAC.
Originally from Southern California, Cat played club volleyball at Laguna Beach Volleyball Club and then played for University of California-Berkeley for two years including a 2007 NCAA Final Four appearance, before transferring to Yale. After graduating and establishing a career in marketing, she left the corporate world and completed a master’s degree in Entrepreneurship at Durham University in the U.K. and then played professionally in the Italian Series A league for Volley Millenium Brescia. Cat was also a Volunteer Assistant Coach at Yale, as well as at Amherst College.
“We are very excited to have Cat join our leadership team, and bring her passionate, collaborative, and solution- minded qualities to the member driven Board. Cat’s experience in every area of our sport will be invaluable in this period of immense growth and popularity of our sport,” stated JVA Executive Director Jenny Hahn.
Through Cat’s leadership, NEVBC is committed to making volleyball more accessible and affordable by creating a nonprofit and scholarship fund.
“One of my proudest moments with Northeast Volleyball Club is the founding of the Nectar Volley Fund, a 501c3 charitable organization and scholarship fund. We founded the Nectar Fund in 2020 during COVID, and our mission was to provide opportunities for all youth athletes to play volleyball, regardless of financial circumstances. In 2021, we formed a board for the organization with alumni parents, and now the board runs the application and award process. In the 2022-2023 season, the Nectar Volley Fund gave financial aid awards to over 30 athletes totaling over $20K. We remain heavily involved in the fundraising for the Nectar Volley Fund, raising over $30K this year for the fund to help more athletes play volleyball,” added Cat.
The JVA staff and Board of Directors are looking forward to working more closely with Cat and extend a warm welcome.
About the JVA Board of Directors The members of the JVA Board of Directors serve a 3 year term. The JVA Board of Directors governs, assures financial stability, develops policy and sets a course for the future, maintaining focus on the mission and guiding principles. Click HERE to view the JVA Board of Directors.
As JVA continues to grow and expand its reach through membership, education, events, and advocacy we look to shape a board with a broad base of leadership capabilities and one which represents our JVA member base. The overall growth of youth and junior club volleyball continues to be exciting and brings many new opportunities and challenges to our membership primarily comprised of club directors and coaches. The JVA staff ,with the support and guidance of the JVA Board of Directors, is committed to serving as a vital resource to support that growth.
For related JVA news click HERE.
About the Junior Volleyball Association
The Junior Volleyball Association (JVA) is a non-profit organization that promotes the growth of youth and junior volleyball through program and resource development, education and events. The organization was formed in 2006 with a primary focus of being a voice for junior volleyball club directors and coaches, and to this day with nearly 1,400 member clubs, is the only organization that is focused entirely on youth and junior volleyball.
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