WHO WE ARE
YWCA is dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women and promoting peace, justice, freedom, and dignity for all.
Established in 1943, our local association began as a residence for women who came to the area seeking employment during World War II. Growing from a home for the “Rosie the Riveters” of southern Appalachia, we are now a multi-site, multi-million dollar human services and advocacy operation, serving nearly 9,000 annually. From the beginning, we have tackled some of the toughest community issues including the need for affordable childcare, racial injustice, teen pregnancy, and gender disparity and our work continues...
Programs and Service Area
Due to the needs of our neighboring counties, YWCA Bristol was authorized by the YWCA USA to serve the 21 counties in NE TN & SW VA shown on the map. We then became YWCA Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia to expand our service area to those counties.
Our expanded service area means we’re now a more accessible resource to the region. The expansion is facilitating new connections, collaboration, and the advancement of our mission through community partnerships. Serving as a center of excellence, we can now share our expertise and proven practices and support innovative efforts to help more families, strengthen more communities, and empower them lead the way forward.
We will help facilitate the implementation of programs and initiatives by sharing our knowledge, experience and assisting with grant requests, as needed, for partners in these counties to fund the programs locally.
Please Contact Us if your organization is located within our expanded service area and looking to implement a program or initiative related to one of our key focus areas.
Our Key Areas of Focus Include:
Administrative Staff
Chief Executive Officer – Kathy Waugh
Chief of Staff – Brittany Sullivan
Financial Office Manager – Robert Havlik
Director of Licensed Programs – Mary Anne Gibson
Director of Mission Advancement –
Human Resources Administrator – Sherry Christensen
Director of Afterschool – Tonja Leonard
Office & Facility Manager – Patty Bailey
McGlothlin-Street Child Care Center
Director - Misty Myers
Assistant Director - Jessica Tittle
Wellmont Child Development Center
Director - Tracy Barbour
Assistant Director - Teresa Blackwell
Evening Supervisor- Kathy Pendleton
2023 YWCA Board of Directors
Kristie Helms, President
Kathy Feagins, Past President
Diane Smith, First Vice President
Tara Chadwell, Recording Secretary
-Asst. Recording Secretary
Holly Rutherford, Treasurer
-Asst. Treasurer
Allison Mays
Crystal Carmichael
Megan Clark
Rachel Cherry
Lynne Gardner
Anne Godfrey
Leigh Hull
Julie Powers
Advisory Panel
Rebecca Beck
Jessica Flagg
Meg Rice