YWCA Metropolitan Chicago Names Dorri McWhorter Chief Executive Officer

CHICAGO, Feb. 4, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- YWCA Metropolitan Chicago's (YWCA) Board of Directors announced today the appointment of Dorri McWhorter to chief executive officer. McWhorter, a partner at Crowe Horwath LLP, will assume the role of CEO effective March 1, 2013.

The YWCA is the oldest women-focused social service agency in Chicago and provides mission critical support programs to more than 173,000 women and children in the greater Chicagoland area. Leveraging her depth of experience in accounting, finance, business consulting, fundraising and philanthropy, McWhorter will infuse new leadership into the YWCA as it seeks to execute upon its strategic growth plan and deliver first-in-class services in four program areas – economic empowerment, sexual violence and support, early childhood and racial equity.

A proven leader with deep operational and financial expertise, McWhorter brings nearly 20 years of experience to the position. Most recently, McWhorter was a partner at Crowe Horwath LLP, one of the largest accounting firms in the U.S., where she spent nine years and was a key leader in the Risk Consulting business unit. There, she oversaw corporate governance, enterprise risk management and internal audit consulting for a variety of for-profit and not-for-profit clients. Additionally, McWhorter has held senior positions with Snap-on Incorporated and Booz-Allen & Hamilton.

"The Board of Directors is very pleased to have identified such a capable and business-minded executive to lead the organization at this critical point in its history," said Gwendolyn Butler, YWCA board president and president of Capri Capital Partners, LLC. "With Dorri's strong business acumen and undeniable passion for the organization's mission, we have every confidence in her ability to successfully lead the YWCA and achieve long-term growth and success."

McWhorter has been an active member of the YWCA's Board of Directors since 2005. During her tenure, she served as Vice President of the Board of Directors, Chair of the Development Committee of the Board of Directors and Founding Chair of the Audit Committee. She brings deep, established relationships with the YWCA's core stakeholder groups, including donors, employees, board members and others.

In her position as CEO, she is charged with leading the strategic implementation of the YWCA's long-term plan – one she had an active role in shaping while a member of the Board of Directors. Core elements of the plan include improving and expanding the organization's support of the economic empowerment of women, contributing to the creation of racial equity for women and girls, further strengthening the organization's financial position and implementing revenue generation, cost reduction and operational improvement efforts.

"I am honored to serve the YWCA as its new CEO and look forward to leveraging my depth of business, civic and philanthropic experience to grow the organization and help Chicago's women," said McWhorter. "Having worked with a variety of different for-profit and not-for-profit business models, I intend to combine social and economic value-creation principles to make the YWCA a global leader in women's wellness and empowerment."  

McWhorter's appointment comes following a thoughtful and methodical, board-led search process, which included retaining executive search firm Spencer Stuart to identify a new CEO. During the five-month search, the YWCA considered both internal and external candidates for the position. Effective with McWhorter's appointment, Pamela Bozeman-Evans, who served as interim-CEO during the search process, will resume her role as Chief of Strategic Initiatives.

A socially-conscious business leader throughout her career, McWhorter has been inspired by social service and is an active member of Chicago's civic, business and philanthropic communities. She currently holds board and membership positions with local organizations including the Chicago Finance Exchange, The Economic Club of Chicago, The Executive's Club of Chicago, Institute of Internal Auditors, National Association of Black Accountants, the Chicago Architecture Foundation, Chicago Child Care Society, Conscious Business Network, Make-A-Wish Foundation of Illinois and the Museum of Science & Industry, among others.

She has been widely recognized for her civic, philanthropic and professional leadership and has won numerous awards and accolades, including Athena International's Young Professional Leadership Award (2010), Chicago Business Leader of Color (2009 honoree), Diversity MBA Magazine's Top 100 Under 50 Executive Leaders (2009 recipient) and the Illinois CPA Society's Outstanding Leadership in Advancing Diversity Award (2010), among others.   

McWhorter received her Bachelor's in Business Administration from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and her Master's in Business Administration from Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management.

About YWCA Metropolitan Chicago
Originally founded in 1876, YWCA Metropolitan Chicago has a longstanding legacy of empowering all women and promoting racial equity. As the oldest women-focused social service agency in Chicago, the YWCA provides mission critical support programs for more than 173,000 women and children of all ages, races, ethnicities and socioeconomic status across the Chicagoland area. The organization administers its programs via seven locations throughout the City of Chicago, Cook County, DuPage County and Kane County. For more information, visit the YWCA's website or follow us on Twitter @YWCAChicago.

SOURCE YWCA of Metropolitan Chicago