Announcing the New Vision and Direction of the YWCA of San Diego County; Casey Gwinn Named New CEO, Debra Zanders-Willis Named COO
YWCA of San Diego County announces that Casey Gwinn will be the new CEO effective July 1, 2007. Debra Zanders-Willis is the new COO, begins July 23, 2007. Under Gwinn and Zanders-Willis' leadership, the YWCA will continue providing critical services to women, children, and families while also pursuing a planning process to closely align the YWCA with the nationally recognized San Diego Family Justice Center, the Family Justice Center Alliance and the Family Justice Center Foundation.
San Diego, CA (PRWEB) June 20, 2007 -- For the past few months, the Board of Directors of the YWCA of San Diego County (YWCA) has been recruiting a new Chief Executive Officer (CEO). That search has ended and the YWCA is pleased to announce that Casey Gwinn will be the new CEO effective July 1, 2007. The YWCA is also pleased to announce the hiring of a Chief Operating Officer (COO), Debra Zanders-Willis.
Under Gwinn and Zanders-Willis' leadership, the YWCA will continue providing critical services to women, children, and families while also pursuing a planning process to closely align the YWCA with the nationally recognized San Diego Family Justice Center, the Family Justice Center Alliance and the Family Justice Center Foundation.
Gwinn has been involved at the local, state, national, and international level in the domestic violence movement for more than 20 years and will fulfill an important role in expanding the YWCA's focus on services for victims of family violence and their children. Most recently, Casey has served as the Volunteer CEO of the San Diego Family Justice Center Foundation including leading the President's Family Justice Center Initiative for the U.S. Department of Justice. The Initiative has launched a national movement, creating "one stop shop" centers for victims of family violence across America and around the world. Casey has also worked part-time as a Special Assistant to District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis, leading the planning effort to start the East County Family Justice Center.
"I believe the collaboration of YWCA, the Family Justice Center Foundation and the National FJC Alliance is a brilliant idea that combines the services of the most powerful advocates for women and families in our community," says Midge Costanza, former Special Assistant to President Jimmy Carter and community leader. "The selection of Casey Gwinn as CEO provides the experience and the commitment necessary to make this work. He has championed the effort against domestic violence in San Diego from the very beginning."
"We congratulate Casey on his new post as CEO of the YWCA. Casey has demonstrated a commitment to listening to the voices of victims and bringing communities together to meet their needs. His leadership will be an asset to the YWCA and the community it serves," said Sue Else, President, National Network to End Domestic Violence," said Sue Else, President, National Network to End Domestic Violence.
Gwinn works closely with a host of national domestic violence organizations including: National Network to End Domestic Violence, Family Violence Prevention Fund, National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, American Bar Association, Commission On Domestic Violence, Corporate Alliance Against Domestic Violence, and the National Domestic Violence Hotline.
"Casey Gwinn is a great choice to bring together the community-based work of the YWCA with the Family Justice Center movement. This will provide an example for other communities for how domestic violence shelter-based programs can work closely with justice system-affiliated Family Justice Centers to increase safety and support for victims of domestic violence and their children," said Rita Smith, Executive Director of the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence.
Debra Zanders Willis has worked with the County of San Diego's Health and Human Services Agency for nearly 20 years. She began her career as a child protective services worker. Zanders-Willis currently serves as an Assistant Deputy Director of Children's Services for San Diego County. She oversees the County's Adoptions and Foster Care programs as well as major initiatives related to Guardianship, Drug Endangered Children, the Child Abuse Hotline, and Family-to-Family Initiatives.
"This is such an exciting opportunity," says Debra Zanders-Willis, COO, YWCA of San Diego. "The expanded partnership between the YWCA and the Family Justice Center movement will broaden services available to women and families in a way that is unparalled."
Debra Zanders-Willis, in her role as COO will work closely with Casey Gwinn, supporting his visionary leadership, and managing the day-to-day operation of the YWCA including their key service programs: Becky's House Domestic Violence Services, the Passages Program, Cortez Hill Family Center, Legal Advocacy Program, Counseling Services and My Sisters Closet.
"Debra Zanders-Willis brings a broad range of experience and knowledge regarding service delivery to families in need and vulnerable children," says Mary Harris, Director, Child Welfare Services. "Her years of experience, leadership skills and management style will no doubt be a tremendous asset to the YWCA's success in accomplishing their newly developed vision."
"The YWCA is the oldest domestic violence services organization in San Diego County," said Gwinn. "The YWCA has a unique opportunity to bring together the rapidly expanding local and national Family Justice Center vision of co-located, one-stop shop services for families with the YWCA's expertise and history of providing life saving services to victims of family violence and their children
"We are 100-percent committed to providing the highest quality of services to the families that we serve," said Roberta Spoon, Board President, YWCA of San Diego County. "The Board's vision is to provide the infrastructure and foundation necessary to provide unparalleled services to women and families in crisis. We believe that this collaboration will serve as a model for shelter providers throughout the country."
Thomas L. Brown, Chairman of the San Diego Family Justice Center Foundation Board, said "We are also honored to begin a planning process with the YWCA to evaluate how the Foundation and our National FJC Alliance can better support the vision and work of the YWCA of San Diego County. Working together, we will be more effective and more successful in supporting women, men, and children caught in the cross-fire of family violence and dealing with the effects of drug and alcohol abuse and related homelessness."
In addition to their enhanced, wrap-around family services, the YWCA will continue their mission of empowering women and eliminating racism by enhancing their education and advocacy programs. The educational programs will provide training and empowerment skills to the women and families while the advocacy programs will provide awareness and racial justice training to the community.
These announcements come on the heels of an exciting time in the history of the YWCA. In addition to opening Becky's House II this October, the YWCA is preparing for their 2008 Centennial Celebration. This new vision will catapult the YWCA forward into the next century in what will be an amazing year and time.
For more information on the YWCA of San Diego County, please visit the YWCA of San Diego County Web site. For more information on the San Diego Family Justice Center, please visit the San Diego Family Justice Center Web site.
###
Post Comment:
Trackback URL: http://www.prweb.com/pingpr.php/UHJvZi1Qcm9mLUluc2UtQ291cC1UaGlyLVplcm8=
Bookmark -
Del.icio.us |
Furl It |
Technorati |
Ask |
MyWeb |
Propeller |
Live Bookmarks |
Newsvine |
TailRank |
Reddit |
Slashdot |
Digg |
Stumbleupon |
Google Bookmarks |
Sphere |
Blink It |
Spurl
|
