REGIONAL – The Newburyport YWCA will no longer be one of the few in the nation with a male executive director.
After leading the YWCA for 16 years, bringing it out of financial distress, expanding services and keeping its doors open through the Pandemic, John Feehan is changing jobs at the popular YWCA.
Julia McDonald, board president, announced last week that Dr. Kate Slater will be the new executive director.
But Feehan is not going far. He will focus on the Y’s core mission of building affordable housing and the education and care of children.
While there were at least three stellar candidates for the Y’s top post, Slater brings a wealth of experience and passion for the organization’s mission, particularly eliminating racism and empowering women, McDonald said.
“The combination of her experience leading non-profits and her commitment to racial justice commended her to the Board of Directors,” she said in the announcement. “We are excited that she will be able to help elevate the YWCA’s role in racial and gender justice not only locally but regionally as well.”
Slater and Feehan share a passion for fighting racism. In a recent interview with The Town Common, he said working at the Y has taught him to appreciate the insidious nature of racism. Among his proudest achievements were events like the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day luncheon and the Juneteenth celebration, he said.
Slater, whose doctoral research was in critical race theory, teaches at the University of New Hampshire in Durham in the Department of Education where she has focused on assisting underrepresented minority students.
She is the co-creator of the Anti-Racist Roadmap and a frequent facilitator and consultant on equity, inclusivity and anti-racist practices for organizations around the country. As a member of the Amesbury School Committee, she is a founding member of the Amesbury Racial and Social Justice group. She also served on Amesbury’s inaugural Juneteenth Committee.
Her path to the Y executive director has prepared her to run its many programs much like Feehan’s previous work history did for him.
He was director of My Brother’s Table in Lynn before moving to the Lynn Economic and Industrial Development Corp. Both positions taught him about community and how to serve the needs as well as how to fund them.
Slater was previously the executive director of the Teacher Collaborative, where she provided professional development and community-building services to educators across Massachusetts.
Previously, she was a national director at BUILD.org, a nonprofit that provides entrepreneurship education to support the economic mobility and college and career readiness of underrepresented high school students.
She has also served as the assistant dean of student affairs at Brandeis University and the associate director and program manager at the Institute for Recruitment of Teachers.
Under Feehan’s leadership at the Y, the pre-school program was opened in 2013.
He also re-introduced the YWCA Encore Plus, a free program that provides gentle exercise and peer support for those who have experienced cancer in their lives.
The YWCA, which began providing affordable housing in Newburyport in 1885, expanded its residences in 1998 to serve the homeless. Working with LD Russo, a for-profit developer and construction company, the YWCA has developed several affordable housing developments, including the Residences at Salisbury Square and YWCA Residences at Ingalls Court 1.
Today, the Y’s affordable housing has grown to serve five communities and provides housing for 124 households. Another 48 units are currently under development in Methuen.
“Over the past 15 years, the YWCA has grown considerably,” Feehan said. “I have been extremely fortunate to have a supportive board who believes in our work and supported our expansion and a fabulous staff who have created amazing programs for the community.
“I look forward to working with the YWCA in my new role to continue to see the association grow. We navigated through many challenges, including a global pandemic, and continue to fulfill our mission of empowering women and eliminating racism.”
Feehan told The Town Common he is extremely proud to leave Slater with a veteran staff, that is passionate about the Y’s mission and strongly believes that “Everyone should be treated with dignity.” ♦
