JANUARY – FEBRUARY 2023
January Birthdays
1 Fatima Diallo
5 Grasha Bannister
8 Joyce Stewart
10 Haley Bingham
15 Kynalyn Waderker
16 Navya Nalla
16 Whitney Stewart
17 William Benson
18 Mandi Buchwald
19 Alexa Bush
21 Natasha Battise
21 Amos Li
23 Fredrick Phells
26 Ashley Boylan
29 Wayne Deal
31 Phyl Flanagan
February Birthdays
1 Sally Ristucci
1 Julia Berry
1 Sonya Todd
1 Keith Hall
1 Ericka McFarland
2 Donald Wilber
3 Mariama Ba
9 Vuanita Hill
13 Katherine Taylor
13 Robert lavon Simmons
15 Donovan Hines
17 Linda Cox
21 Pamela Wilson
21 Stacy McLain
23 Deborah Turner
24 Molly Ryan Kowaleski
26 Loren Beckett
26 Shannon Thomas
26 Camille Moultrie
January Anniversaries
1 YEAR
Joyce Stewart
2 YEARS
Rosalyn Lasekan
3 YEARS
Phillip Grissett
4 YEARS
Alexa Bush
9 YEARS
Deborah Turner
16 YEARS
Katherine Taylor
17 YEARS
Keith Hall
23 YEARS
Valerie Henthorn
25 YEARS
Debora Delzell
February Anniversaries
1 YEAR
Regina Clemons
Lea Goldsmith
Kayla Hylton
Jasmine Marie Nelms
Ellen Roberts
Kim Williams
2 YEARS
Camille Moultrie
Joyanna Reese
Jose Torres
3 YEARS
Janice Tunstall
5 YEARS
Judy Peterson
9 YEARS
Cheryl Glenn
11 YEARS
Jerome Burger
Wayne Deal
We welcomed the following staff to the team with the start of the new year. We’re so thrilled you’re here!
- Elizabeth Brown – President and CEO
- Steven Withers – Content & Creative Strategist
- Monica Carmona – HR Generalist
- Taquasia Hollingsworth – Family Support Specialist
- Natasha Battise – Volunteer and Donations Coordinator
Team Announcements + Updates
- Justice, Equity & Belonging Program Update
- Advocacy Updates
- Education Updates
- Congratulations, Mariama!
In December, our Justice, Equity and Belonging program secured a contract with The City of Columbus’ Department of Neighborhoods to provide three sessions of Racial Equity workshops for our local area commissioners and other community stakeholders. Those sessions will complement two other workshops being offered by the Kirwan Institute at OSU and United Way of Central Ohio to help infuse more cultural humility and equity in community planning processes. The sessions will start the first Saturday in April. Great job, Phyl and Danielle!
In January, the new Ohio General Assembly began. With this new cycle, we will be following legislation concerning housing equity, childcare, and social justice issues. The sessions will pick up in pace later this spring, so be on the lookout for action items!
Locally, Mayor Ginther is creating and launching a regional housing collaborative to create actionable steps for the development of more housing, and specifically, affordable housing. We will be following this collaborative closely, with vested interest in closing the housing gap.
Safe & Sound
Safe & Sound celebrated the holiday season throughout December with decorations, gifts, holiday cookies, and a visit from Santa Clause.
And a special note from the Leadership & Social Justice department: We are excited to announce the acceptance of one outstanding YWCA Columbus staff member into the 2023 Leadership for Social Change program! Please congratulate Mariama Ba, project specialist, as she joins other change-makers in developing leadership skills to advance social change in our community. Congrats, Mariama!
Save the Date
- Martin Luther King Jr. Day
- YWCA Columbus 2022 [Virtual] Annual Meeting
- YWCA Racial Justice Challenge
- 38th Annual Women of Achievement
In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., you are invited to join the Leadership & Social Justice Team in a virtual, one-hour discussion of the film “MLK/FBI” on Thursday, Jan. 19 at 12 p.m.
We recommend that you watch the movie on your own between now and the discussion. The film is available via a Hulu subscription or can be rented on other apps for $3.99. You may preview the trailer for the 2020 film here.
Mark your calendars twice – once to watch the movie with a friend or family member and again for our discussion. All are welcome to attend, whether or not you’ve seen the film.
If you are considering joining and/or have any questions, please email Phyl Flanagan at pflanagan@ywcacolumbus.org. We look forward to seeing and hearing from you!
We look forward to reflecting on and celebrating the successes of 2022 with you on Thursday, Jan 19 at 9:30 a.m. We will also share a few important announcements and updates for the upcoming year. Please RSVP to Jessica Wichtman-Will.
YWCA’s Racial Justice Challenge, a virtual learning tool designed to create dedicated time and space to build more effective social justice habits, will return April 17 – May 15, 2023. The topics for this year’s challenge include music, disability, mental health, and housing. Learn more here. Registration will be open soon!
Meet this year’s class here and save the date – April 27, 2023 – to attend our virtual luncheon.
YWCA Columbus In the News
On Nov. 10, 2022, YWCA Columbus announced Elizabeth C. Brown would be our next president and CEO (effective Jan. 2, 2023). This news was picked up by NBC4, Columbus Business First, The Columbus Dispatch, Columbus Underground, and WOSU.
After Ohio’s State Board of Education was heavily criticized for its proposed anti-trans resolution in December, YWCA Columbus joined several of our partners who represent LGBTQIA+ youth and adults to offer professional development and resources to the Board. The offer was not accepted.