Ann DeLaney, the longtime executive director of The Julian Center, an Indianapolis shelter for domestic violence victims, is stepping down.

What originally was to be a two-year term morphed into a 15-year run for DeLaney, who has juggled the not-for-profit center’s leadership position with her prominent role in politics, her law practice and her bankruptcy trusteeship.

“We finished the [shelter's recent] capital campaign, and I thought it was a good idea to pass the torch to the next generation, so to speak,” said DeLaney, 64, who chaired the Indiana Democratic Party from 1993 to 1995. “It’s something I had thought about for a while.”

The not-for-profit’s $3 million fundraising campaign finished about two months ago and helped the group purchase and renovate a building adjacent to the shelter at 2021 N. Meridian St.

That enabled The Julian Center to move its counseling services from its administration building to free up space for six domestic violence advocates to move from the shelter. The shelter now has room for eight to 10 overflow beds for domestic violence victims.

Under DeLaney’s leadership, The Julian Center has expanded to three buildings on its North Meridian Street campus—the shelter, administrative building and counseling center. It also operates a 71-unit permanent housing complex at 34th and Meridian streets.

A larger women’s shelter opened on its campus nearly 10 years ago and houses about 105 women and children. The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department’s domestic violence branch fully located to the nearby administrative building following its merger with the Marion County Sheriff’s Department three years ago. The branch includes 16 detectives and three Marion County prosecutors.

In August, 34 North, an apartment complex operated by the center for victims of domestic abuse, opened at 34th and Meridian streets.

The complex consists of 52 new apartments and 19 rehabbed units, formerly called the Vernon Apartments. The Julian Center’s capital campaign contributed about $1 million to the nearly $10 million project, which was largely funded by $8.1 million in federal tax credits.

Founded in 1975, the Julian Center has about 100 employees and an annual budget of $4.2 million.

The center is accepting resumes for the executive director position, and there’s no timetable on when a new leader will be selected, said DeLaney.

DeLaney, a Democratic insider who appears regularly on the "Indiana Week In Review" show on WFYI-TV Channel 20, said she also needs more time to spend with her grandchildren.

She is married to state Rep. Ed DeLaney, D-Indianapolis. Together, along with daughter Kathleen DeLaney, they operate the DeLaney & DeLaney LLC law office.