YWCA CEO Vanessa McDowell-Atlas has announced she will leave the organization in mid-February, the Wisconsin State Journal reports. McDowell-Atlas made history in 2017 when she became the first Black woman CEO to lead the 108-year-old organization.
Moving forward, McDowell-Atlas plans to serve as COO for Black Girl Ventures, which provides resources and capital to Black and brown woman-identifying business founders.
She has named Gery Paredes Vásquez interim CEO for YWCA Madison. Paredes Vásquez served as director of YWCA’s Race and Gender Equity Department, and she led the co-creation and planning of its annual Race Justice Summit.
