Gery Paredes Vásquez Appointed as Interim CEO of YWCA Madison
MADISON, Wisconsin – March 12, 2024 – YWCA Madison proudly announces the appointment of Gery Paredes Vásquez as the Interim CEO, effective February 17, 2024. With a profound commitment to intersectional justice, collective healing and liberation, Gery brings a wealth of experience and dedication to this role. YWCA Madison’s Board President Angela Arrington stated “Gery Paredes Vásquez's appointment as Interim CEO marks a new chapter for YWCA Madison as it continues its mission to eliminate racism, empower women, and promote peace, justice, freedom, and dignity for all. The organization looks forward to the leadership and vision that Gery will bring to this role”.
Gery Paredes Vásquez is no stranger to YWCA Madison, her journey with YWCA Madison began in 2012 as a volunteer racial justice facilitator, then coordinator and manager in this same department, eventually leading to her appointment as Race and Gender Equity Director in 2018. During her tenure, she built on thirteen years of racial justice work in this department and spearheaded numerous collaborative initiatives with her team and a diverse range of individuals and organizations, both locally and nationally. Notable among her contributions are rooting the Racial Justice Series Community Series, the annual Racial Justice Summit, the Creating Equitable Organizations program, Transformative Leadership for Equity series as well as intersectional race-based offerings such as the BIPOC Healing Justice and Co-Liberation Series and the Embodied Racial Justice series for white identifying folks, in a more holistic and experiential approach for racial justice learning, unlearning and transformative action.
Gery's deep-rooted connection to the mission of YWCA Madison is evident in her tireless advocacy for marginalized communities and her unwavering dedication to creating equitable spaces for all. Born into families of mixed ethnicities and races due to colonization in Bolivia, Gery's personal journey of learning, unlearning, and healing informs her work for intersectional justice every day. With over twenty years of professional practice, she has collaborated with communities and organizations around the world, championing social justice and empowerment.Prior to her role at YWCA Madison, Gery served as the Co-Curricular Director of United World College in Costa Rica, she also co-founded the community organization Wayna Hilaña Yanapaña focused on youth empowerment, intercultural understanding, and social justice in her country of birth, Bolivia. She holds a bachelor's degree in Interdisciplinary Social Justice Education from Prescott College, an Executive Certificate in Social Impact Strategy from the University of Pennsylvania, and several other certifications on organizational and social change.
“As the first Latina woman in this role, and having had the honor of receiving this opportunity from our beloved Vanessa McDowell-Atlas, I look forward and feel joyful to build on and deepen our practice of solidarity across communities and sectors for racial justice, collective healing and liberation. Recommitting ourselves to practice our values of humanity, community, growth and restoration, feels even more critical in these too often heartbreaking times”, stated Gery Paredes Vásquez when reflecting on this moment and the ongoing journey for intersectional justice movement building ahead.
In this spirit, YWCA Madison invites you to join for an Afternoon of Practice with Valarie Kaur, on Monday, April 29 from 1-4 pm at Monona Terrace. This beloved civil rights leader will offer us the compass of Revolutionary Love - intentional practices that call us to cultivate love for Ourselves, Others and our Opponents, as she will guide us in reflecting with other participants across generations and justice movements in multiracial and gender diverse communities. We are excited to welcome you to join us into this new chapter, as we come together to infuse Revolutionary Love into the work of movement building for intersectional racial justice in Madison, Wisconsin and beyond.
To learn more and get registered visit: https://revolutionary-love-valarie-kaur.eventbrite.com
If you are interested in sponsorship opportunities please email YWCA Madison’s Donor Relations Manager, Taylor Rather at traether@ywcamadison.org.
