Dora Cheatham is the Executive Director of the Delaware Sustainable Chemistry Alliance – a non-profit organization that enables entrepreneurial scientists innovating in materials, chemicals, and many other technologies commercializes their innovations to help drive economic growth for Delaware. She is also on the Board of MACH2, working with industry leaders to develop a Mid-Atlantic Clean Hydrogen Hub that focuses on the production, transportation, storage and consumption of green hydrogen.
Prior to this, she led the New Castle County Chamber of Commerce’s Economic Development Council and Emerging Enterprise Center activities, helping startups and small businesses build a sustainable business model, and supporting county and state initiatives to help drive Economic Development in Delaware, including the support of key innovation and industry hubs and driving discussions that enable the development of programs to build Delaware’s talent and workforce pipeline.
A passionate believe in innovation and the commercialization of new products and technologies, Dora’s background has been in International Business Development, spending nearly 20 years with Celeste Industries Corp—a subsidiary of ITW, Inc—where she implemented and managed New Product Development & Marketing procedures to create and commercialize new products on the global stage, generating several million dollars in new business and helping to establish Celeste Industries as a world leader in aviation industry specialty chemicals, publishing several articles and editorials in aviation industry publications on innovative cleaning technologies in aviation industry cleaning.
Dora spent her early years studying and/or working in the UK, France, Spain and Cyprus, holds degrees in foreign languages and international business from Thames Valley University and the University of London, and speaks fluent French, Spanish, and Greek. In addition, Dora has completed multiple continuing education courses in New Product Development, Strategic Marketing, Strategic Sales Negotiations, and Operations and is a certified Business Advisor. She is currently on the Board of the Delaware Founder's Initiative.
In 2018 Dora received Delaware Today’s “Women in Business” award and was named one of Delaware’s “People to Watch in 2019” by Delaware Business Times.