Battling cancer, Ferrell-Jones steps down as CEO of YW Boston
Read this article on the Boston Business Journal website.
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Sylvia Ferrell-Jones is stepping down as president and CEO of YW Boston after 10 years.
Ferrell-Jones has led the nonprofit — the nation’s first YWCA, which got its start in 1866 as the Boston Young Women’s Christian Association — since 2007, leading the organization through a rebranding effort in 2012 to reflect YW’s mission to combat racial disparities and social change.
In an email, board chair Mim Minichiello said Ferrell-Jones “has been quietly but ferociously” battling cancer for the past two-and-a-half years.
Beth Chandler, YW Boston’s chief operating officer, will serve as interim president and CEO effective immediately.
YW Boston’s 25-person staff was told of the change earlier this week. “It’s a very sad time for all of us,” said Annie Garmey, YW Boston’s chief development officer, on Thursday afternoon. “She has absolutely put her heart and soul into our organization and our mission to eliminate racism and empower women.”
A fund has been created in Ferrell-Jones’ name to honor “the legacy of this visionary leader’s decade of passion and commitment as YW Boston’s President and CEO and provides general operating support to the organization.”
Prior to joining YW Boston in 2007, Ferrell-Jones spent 25 years in real estate finance and nonprofit leadership, including stints as a director at AEW Capital Management of Boston and as a director of agency development for Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, where her professional biography says she provided governance, management and fundraising consultations to a $26 million not-for-profit affiliate portfolio.
According to her bio, Sylvia currently serves on the board of directors for United Church Funds; Andover Newton Theological School; and the Wellesley Centers for Women, and sits on an advisory board for Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce Women’s Network, and the corporate advisory board for Women of ALPFA (Association of Latino Professionals in Finance and Accounting).
Minichiello said of Ferrell-Jones: “We have been beside Sylvia in this long battle, and can’t think of a better way to honor her than to keep pushing forward with YW Boston’s mission.”