March - April 2024

March Birthdays

1 Shelby Gayer 
1 Mary Rogers 
2 Tameka Donaldson 
3 Ryan Kennedy 
3 Catherine Palmer 
6 Mariah Cox 
9 Mariah Davis 
9 Danielle Boyd 
10 Yvonne McBroom 
11 Jacqueline Johnson 
13 LaDonna Price 
15 Michelle Chapman 
17 Bailee Marie Reeves 
18 Joanna Poindexter 
19 Riley McHale 
19 Teresa Woods 
20 Juliet Lewis 
20 Nida Maduemezia 
20 Sydney Wilson 
21 Anita Rastogi 
26 Ashley Li 
28 Cydni Robertson 
30 Todd Palmore 
30 Carrie Hacker 
31 Roberta Romito 

April Birthdays  

1 Michelle Chieffo 
3 Betty Rickabaugh 
8 Cheryl Glenn 
11 Rhiannon Howell 
11 Destini Bailey-Leavell 
16 Payton Meador 
21 Christina Walls 
23 Frances Rene Call 
28 Marylyen Jimenez-Ayala 
28 Rosalyn Lasekan 

March Anniversaries  

2 YEARS 
Craig Hylton

3 YEARS 
Rachelle Harvey 
Phyl Flanagan 
Pamela Wilson

4 YEARS 
Montavious Cowart 
Fred (Maurice) Mills

10 YEARS 
Ken Yahnke

16 YEARS 
Elaine Colna 

April Anniversaries  

1 YEAR 
Makiva McIntosh

2 YEARS 
Gabriella Caroselli 
Christian Johnson

5 YEARS 
Paula Eskridge  

12 YEARS 
Nancy Conkel

21 YEARS 
Bev Gyure

New Hires  

These valuable teammates joined us to kick off the year! Welcome! 

  • Latoya Parish – Assistant Program Administrator 

  • Sonya Knapp – Payroll Coordinator 

  • Regina McFarland – Program Assistant 

  • Chenise Smith – Assistant Toddler Teacher 

  • Payton Meador – Program Assistant 

  • Destini Bailey-Leavell - Cook 

  • Catherine Palmer – Program Assistant 

Team Announcements + Updates

  • Join our Justice, Equity & Belonging (JEB) Program Managers, Phyl Flanagan and Danielle Boyd, this March for a facilitated conversation on Avoiding and Disrupting Microaggressions.

    • Wednesday, March 13, 10 – 11:30 a.m. (VIRTUAL) https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83410684883

    • Tuesday, March 26, 10 – 11:30 a.m. (Griswold, Wolfe Room)

    • Friday, March 29, 10 – 11:30 a.m. (VIRTUAL) https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83256033424

  • Registration for YWCA’s summer day camp opened on Monday, March 4. Camp will begin on June 3! Interested in sending your child? Check out the FAQs and find the forms you will need to complete your registration here.

  • YWCA Columbus announced this year’s Women on the Rise in February. Maria Bruno, Esq., J. Averi Frost, Rebecca Joseph, Esq., Olivia G. Nathan, PharmD, MPH, AAHIVP, and Jennifer Walton will be honored at Women of Achievement on April 11. Learn more about these five passionate, emerging leaders.

  • We are looking to fill the following positions:

    • Site Director – Gahanna

    • Kitchen Production Assistant – Family Center

    • Advocacy & Organizing Coordinator – LSJ

    • Program Assistant – USN

    • Program Tutor – USN

    • Custodial Maintenance Tech – Griswold Building

    As a reminder, employees who refer candidates for vacant roles are eligible for a $500 bonus (if the candidate is hired and upon completion of their probationary period). For additional information about these positions, please refer to ywcacolumbus.org/jobs or Indeed.

Save the Date

  • This Women’s History Month, we are celebrating Columbus City Council’s important pay equity legislation, championed by Councilmember Lourdes Barroso de Padilla. The policy officially went into effect on Friday, March 1, and it is an important step toward eliminating the persistent gender pay gap in this community.

  • Mark your calendars for our upcoming 21-Day Racial Justice Challenge under the inspiring theme: "Building Bridges to Equity." Throughout April, we will explore topics such as:

    • Bodily autonomy

    • Women's Financial Empowerment/Caregiving

    • Gun Violence

    • Transportation

    Click here to register and be sure to designate YWCA Columbus as your affiliated agency. We will be offering gift card raffles to encourage staff participation! More information will be coming soon.

  • Meet the six women who will be honored at this year’s event (Corrine Burger, Demetries Neely, Dr. Elaine Richardson, Renee Shumate, Ola Snow, and Erin Upchurch) as well as the recently announced Women on the Rise (Maria Bruno, Esq., J. Averi Frost, Rebecca Joseph, Esq., Olivia Nathan, PharmD, MPH, AAHIVP, and Jennifer Walton). Want to volunteer at the event? Contact Alexa Molitor at amolitor@ywcacolumbus.org.

“Congratulations to Tanya Salyers, YWCA’s director of advocacy, who was recently sworn in to the Columbus Women’s Commission!”

“The Women’s Residency Team (Teresa Woods, Anna Moore, Mikhala Wilson and Dan Kinney) goes the extra mile daily to support the needs of our residents, especially in the areas of advocating and identifying additional community resources, assessing each resident’s needs and facilitating connections. They work hard to ensure that the residents are in charge of their ‘goal setting’ as they work towards self-sufficiency. They have also been instrumental in transitioning the programmatic files to streamline the accreditation review process for the program.”

“Shout out to Michelle Chieffo for sharing great passion in assisting residents that reaches beyond her daily responsibilities, while devoting additional time to ensure that the agency is in compliance with inspections and audits that support the program.”

“Thank you to the Front Desk and Engagement Staff for working together to support the residents and creating “program activities” that residents choose to participate in while gaining new skills they can use in the future that bolster confidence and self-awareness.”

“Mikhala Wilson was able to perform a portion of “Ain’t I a Woman?” by Sojourner Truth during Women’s Residency’s Black History Month Celebration on Feb. 28. Great job Khala! Everyone enjoyed your performance.”

YWCA Columbus in the News

Former YWCA Family Center resident Cyan Pride was featured in an important piece on Section 8 Housing Vouchers with the Columbus Dispatch.  

The ladies in our Women’s Residency program celebrated Galentine’s Day together on Feb. 13. 

Phyl Flanagan, Justice, Equity & Belonging program manager, cofacilitated a discussion with the Franklin County Board of Commissioners Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in honor of Black History Month. 

Tanya Salyers, director of advocacy at YWCA Columbus, was sworn in to the Columbus Women’s Commission. 

YWCA Kids Place kicked off Junior Writers Club, a months-long initiative that will bring local authors and illustrators into our afterschool programs to boost kids’ literacy, creativity, and confidence. 

Sue Darby, formerly of the YMCA of Central Ohio, is joining YWCA Columbus as our next chief operating officer later in March! 

YWCA Columbus extended our condolences to the family and loved ones of Colin Jennings, who was tragically killed last week by Columbus Police, and we will continue our calls for investment in a dedicated, community-led nonpolice response program.