MoxieTalk with Kirt Jacobs: #203 Delanor Manson

Creativity, curiosity and discipline define Delanor Manson's accomplishments across many fields. Jewelry designer, businesswoman, nurse and Navy captain all describe successful careers mastered by Manson. With degrees in nursing and healthcare management, she has been at the forefront of innovative medical initiatives in both patient care and complex administrative issues. Achieving the rank of U.S. Navy captain, Manson applied her nursing education to positions in the U.S, Japan, Great Britain, Germany, Italy and Puerto Rico. As the associate vice president of research and design for Hosparus Inc., she was involved in the complex interplay of strategic planning, project design, and management. In 2008, Manson founded the Koi Gallery at the Galt House Hotel to exhibit and sell jewelry she designed. The gallery currently showcases paintings, sculptures and other pieces created by local, regional and national artisans. About one fifth of the artists showcased in the gallery are emerging artists. This has garnered Manson national acclaim, as evidenced by the designs for poet, activist and educator Nikki Giovanni and former first lady Michelle Obama. Her many awards include recognition by Her Scene magazine as a style icon, Today's Woman magazine's Most Admired Woman in the Arts in 2012, and the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) as their 2013 EPIC award finalist for the Woman Business Owner of the Year. Mogul magazine featured her in an article titled "Not a Boutique, but a Gallery of Jewelry & Art Infusion." Manson is an active community member with a leadership position in the Woman's Club of Louisville, board member for the Look Art Gallery Consortium, and past chairperson of the Committee on Health. She currently serves as the chairperson of the Committee on Culinary Arts of the Woman's Club of Louisville.