Julie Schlueter Engen will join YWCA Minneapolis as the Vice President of Human Resources effective Monday, Oct. 24. Engen comes to this senior leadership post with more than two decades of experience in the field of human resources.

Nickelodeon star, rapper, dancer and model, Lay Lay will visit YWCA Minneapolis for a special meet and greet with the organization's youth community, Friday, Oct. 21.

In honor of the extraordinary endeavor by YWCA Minneapolis to further its mission to eliminate racism, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has proclaimed Oct. 18 as "It's Time to Talk Day," recognizing the organization's annual event marking a coming together of the community to participate in critical dialogue to dismantle systems and structures of oppression.

YWCA Minneapolis, in proud partnership with Birchbark Books, will host "An Evening with Dr. Ibram X. Kendi" at Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church, Thursday, Sept. 15, 7 p.m.  Media may request passes and interview time.

Laurie Ohmann is joining YWCA Minneapolis as its first Chief Financial and Operating Officer effective Sept. 6. In this position, Ohmann will exercise oversight of finance, IT and the organization’s Early Childhood Education, Girls and Youth, and Health and Wellness programs.

Determined to position youth for future success, the 3M Open Golf Tournament and Wings Financial presented YWCA Minneapolis with a combined donation of $50,000.The check presentation also served as a backdrop to financial literacy sessions delivered by Wings to YWCA participants in the Eureka program, a 5-year STEM-based pathway for high school girls.

YWCA Minneapolis is pleased to name Elizabeth Bierman, Amy Dragland-Johnson, Kim Ford, Hyun Mee Graves, Kimpa Moss and Amy Phenix to its Board of Directors, while bidding farewell to retiring board members, Kathy Longo, Remi Kent, Deborah Hilke, Lana Slavitt and Susan Williams.

YWCA Minneapolis is pleased to announce the construction and unveiling of a brand new, kid-designed playground, July 15, along the resurging corridor of East Lake Street at YWCA Midtown.

YWCA Minneapolis is excited to announce that its downtown location is a musical stop for the Minneapolis Downtown Council’s annual Pianos on Parade, sponsored by PNC Bank during the month of June.

YWCA Minneapolis is honored to present the 2022 Woman of Power Award to Professor Duchess Harris, Ph.D., and the inaugural Kate Berman Leadership Award to Wenda Weekes Moore. 

YWCA Minneapolis is proud to announce the appointment of Shweta Jhanji, Charlene Lee, Kael Peterson and Rachel Whitcomb to its Board of Directors. The Board of Directors is chaired by Carissa Rollins, chief information officer, Illumina.

On March 23, YWCA Minneapolis will host Beyond Access: Disability Justice & Radical Inclusion, a virtual forum featuring leading disability and social justice advocate Talila A. Lewis.

YWCA Minneapolis announced that it is opening nominations for its 2022 Woman of Power Award.

YWCA Minneapolis is excited to announce that Hayley Mueller will join the organization as Chief Development Officer on March 28.

The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) announces that one of the Pathways to Prosperity Grantees will be YWCA Minneapolis.

In the past year, mentions about critical race theory have skyrocketed in the news and across social media with people scrutinizing the term and its perceived effect on our education system.

YWCA Minneapolis will hold the 19th annual It’s Time to Talk: Forums on Race™ Oct. 28, 2021, featuring writer, speaker and internet yeller Ijeoma Oluo.

YWCA Minneapolis is hosting a new community event this year – Race Against Racism 5K. The race is an accessible 3.1-mile run/walk on a flat course around Lake Nokomis on August 8, 2021, beginning at 9:00 am. Joining this run/walk supports YWCA’s mission to eliminate racism and empower women, and helps raise awareness of racism as a public health crisis.  

YWCA Minneapolis is pleased to announce that Shelley Carthen Watson has been elected its new president and CEO. Shelley is a nationally-renowned labor and employment law expert and comes to YWCA Minneapolis from the University of Minnesota, where she has served as senior associate general counsel in the Office of the General Counsel, providing legal advice and counsel for a public research institution with over 30,000 employees.